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Webster  Family  Library  of  Veterinary  Medicine 
Cummings  Scliool  of  Veterinary  Medicine  at 
Tufis  University 
200  Westboro  Road 
NorttvGrafton.  MA  01536 


r 


The  Premium  Saddle-Horse,  Estes,  owned  by  Dr.  T.  Gaillard  Thomas,  New  York.    From 
Photograph  by  Rockwcod. 


HORSES : 

THEIR    FEED    AND    THEIR    FEET. 

A 

MANUAL  OF  HORSE  HYGIENE, 

INVALUABLE   FOR  THE 

VETERAN    OR   THE    NOVICE: 


POINTING    OUT    THE    TRUE    SOURCE  OF   "  MALARIA,"    "  DISEASE  WAVES, 
INFLUENZA,   GLANDERS,    "PINK-EYE,"   ETC., 


AND   HOW  TO   PREVENT  AND   COUNTERACT  THEM. 
BY 

C.    E.    PAGE,     M.D., 

Author  of '■'•How  to  Feed  the  Baby^^''  '•'■Natu7-al  Cwe  of  Consumption ^^^  etc. 

WITH    TREATISE    AND    NOTES    ON    SHOEING, 

BY 

SIR  GEORGE  COX  AND  COL.  M.  C.  WELD. 

SECOND  EDITION,  REVISED  AND  ENLARGED, 

NEW  YORK : 
FOWLER    &    WELLS,     PUBLISHERS, 

753    Broadway. 


COPYRIGHT,  1883,  BY 

FOWLER    &    WELLS. 


EDWARD   O.  JENKINS, 

Printer  and  Stereotyper^ 
North  William  Street,  New  York, 


TO 

THE    "MERCIFUL    MAN" 

WHO  WOULD 

SACRIFICE    EVEN    HIS    PREJUDICES 

FOR 

HIS    HORSE'S    GOOD 

AND 

HIS    OWN. 


CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 


Object  of  the  Book $ 

Request  to  Readers 6 

"  Five-dollar  Jockeys  "  sometimes  Slandered lo 

Why  Horses  are  not  Fed  on  Mince-Pie  and  Pickles 11-12 

Foul  Air  and  Disease  in  Stable  and  Home 12-13,  29 

Mistaken  kindness  to  immediately  Blanket  a  Steaming 

Horse •. 13-14 

Instinct  vs.  Reason 15 

Cruel  Kindness , 16-38-48 

How  to  transform  a  "  Seedy  "  Horse 17-24-25 

"  Condition  "  in  Horses 18 

Why  they  go  Lame  suddenly ;  Importance  of  Work.  19,  74,  77 

Flesh  vs.  Fat 20 

A  Soft  Horse — Fatty  Degeneration 21-22,  61 

Hint  to  would-be  Race-Winners. 23 

Letter  to  Turf,  Field,  and  Farm 24 

Two-meal  System 24-31-34-35-85-86 

Extra  Feed — When  Injurious 26 

Dyspepsia  or  Indigestion — Symptoms  and  Cause 28-29 

Importance  of  Rest  before  Eating,  and  Leisure  after. . .       29 

What  "  Kicks  " , 30 

Cause  and  Cure  of  "  Pulling"  ;  The  Human  "Puller.".  .31-32 

Popular  Prejudice  against  Innovations 35 

•'  Colds " — What    this    Disorder    really   Is,   and    How 

Caused 37-38 

(3) 


4  CONTENTS. 

Prevention  of  the  "  Distemper  " — Its  Cure 39-40-41 

Cold  Air  not  necessarily  Pure 42 

Hand-Rubbing  vs.  Drugs 42 

Danger  of  Medication 42 

Concerning  the  Use  of  the  Blanket 43 

The  Natural  Coat  the  best 44-45 

Clipping — A  Hint 45 

Eating  and  Digesting — ^The  Difference  ;  Kind  Treatment.  46 

Over-driving — Overwork 47 

A  Safe  Remedy 48 

Chest  Founder 48 

Chronic  Disease — Cause 50 

Hints  relating  to  Food  and  Drink 51 

Sore  Back 54 

Scrofula 56 

Glanders 57 

Kidney  Complaints ;  Relation  of  "  Condition "  to  Re- 
served Force  or  Staying  Power 58 

Quantity  of  Food 63 

One's  Meat  another's  Poison 6^ 

The  best  Feed 70 

Corn  on  the  Cob ;  Flatulence  ;  Cribbing 71 

"  Enough  is  Better  than  a  Feast " ;  The  Horse-of-all- 

Work 'j^ 

From  the  Dump-cart  to  the  Track *]() 

"  Grassing  Out " 77 

About  the  Appetite 80 

Feeding    of    Road    Horses;    What    a     Father-in-law 

Learned 81 

How  a  Truckman  avoided   Lost  Time,  and  Improved 

the  Condition  of  his  Horses 83 

Horse-car  Love 84 

Trying  to  "  Make  a  Horse  Laugh ! " 87 

Mr.  Plant's  Testimony 87 

First-class  Stables  ;  The  Eternal  "  Mash  !  " 89 


CONTENTS.  5 

Veterinary   Practice  ;    Founder  ;    "  Counter-irritation  " 

with  a  Vengeance 92 

Eating  the  Bedding;  Rules  that  may  be  Safely  Tried. .       96 

Check  Rein 99-125 

Blinders loc 


PART   II. 

SHOEING. 

Ignorance  —  not  Cruelty  —  to  Blame  for  the  Horse  s 

Premature  Decay 103 

Value  of  Horse  Property.  104 

Normal  Age  of  the  Horse 105 

Lord  Pembroke's  Opinion  of  Grooms 106 

Chief  Source  of  the  Horse's  Suffering 107 

One  Cause  and  Cure  of  Swelled  Legs 107 

Unnecessary  Work ;  Value  of  Brakes 108 

A  Common  Fallacy 109 

Man  forestalled  by  Nature no 

Effect  of  Shoe  Nails in 

"  Inconceivable  Cruelty,"  as  defined  by  Mr.  Mayhew.. . .  113 

Sir  George  Cox's  Logical  Deduction 114 

Specious  Arguments 1 14-1 1 5 

Not    Theory,   not    Book,  not    Hobby,  but    Extended 

Practice 11 5-1 16 

Improvement 119 

Running  Barefoot  over  Rocky  Hills  in  Wales,  etc 120 

Direct  and  Indirect  Benefit  of  Reform ;  Everybody  but 
the  Blacksmith  Benefited  ;  A  Count's  Experience . 

I 20-1 2 I 
Is  Judgment  Based  on  Knowledge  to  Settle  the  Ques- 
tion? The  Opinion  of  the  Lancet 122-123 

Adequacy  of  the  Natural  Foot  for  all  Demands ;  Inde- 
pendence of  the  Unshod  Horse 124 


6  CONTENTS, 

Xenophon's    Experience   Coincides    with   Lord    Pem- 
broke's ;  Modern  Writers  Shirking 125-126-127 

French  and  English  and  Mexican  Army  Experience 128 

Humanity  and  Self-interest  Going  to  Prevent  Human 
Ignorance  and  Conceit  from  continuing  to  Mar  the 

Work  of  God 130 

The  Tribune  and  Mark  Lane's  Express  on  Other  En- 
glish Experience 131 

Col.  Weld's  Experience 133 

The  Training  and  Character  of  Horses 139 


-PREFACE. 


Through  many  years'  acquaintance  with  the  dis- 
orders of  man  and  beast,  I  have  learned  the  principal 
cause  of  abnormal  conditions.  To  remove  a  cause  is 
to  provide  the  sovereign  remedy.  The  "  medicine  " 
is  no  less  worthy  of  confidence  because  costing  abso- 
lutely nothing  and  always  at  hand. 

Instructions  which  are  specially  designed  for  the 
benefit  of  novices,  will,  of  course,  be  recognized  and, 
doubtless,  approved  of  by  the  veterans  who  may 
chance  to  examine  the  work.  Where  the  suggestions 
are  evidently  intended  for  the  veterans  themselves, 
being  in  direct  opposition  to  prevaiHng  practices,  I 
trust  that  some  will  deem  them  at  least  worthy  of 
consideration  and  trial. 

One  object  of  this  work  is  to  recommend  a  re- 
formed system  of  feeding,  calculated  to  conserve  vital 
force  at  points  where  it  is  often  expended  in  the  most 
destructive  manner,  viz. :  the  digestive  and  excretory 
systems.  If  the  digestive  organs  become  diseased, 
the  excretories  are  certain  to  be  overtaxed,  since  it  is 
their  office  to  eliminate  the  foul  products  of  indiges- 
tion, as  well  as  the  normal  waste  of  the  organism. 


8  PREFACE. 

Although  placing  special  stress  upon  the  advantage 
of  modifying  the  prevailing  diet  as  to  the  number  of 
meals,  the  author  is  far  from  asserting  that  this  is 
imperatively  necessary,  providing  that  the  total  quan- 
tity is  not  excessive,  and  the  feeding  is  so  timed  (or, 
upon  occasion,  omitted  altogether,  for  a  meal),  that 
the  horse  is  never  fed  when  tired,  nor  put  to  work 
soon  after  eating.  It  is  manifestly  true  that  the  oft- 
ener  he  is  fed  the  more  difficult  it  is  to  guard  against 
the  above  evil.  Having  taken  pains,  as  the  reader 
will  observe  further  on,  to  put  himself  in  communi- 
cation with  a  large  number  of  horsemen,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  eliciting  their  views,  and  being  desirous  of 
still  further  acquaintance  among  the  craft,  the  author 
ventures  to  request  such  readers  as  may  feel  so  dis- 
posed to  address  him,  giving — for  or  against — the  re- 
sult of  their  experience  after  a  trial  of  the  system 
recommended. 

As  stated  in  the  opening  paragraph,  the  chief  aim  in 
the  author's  mind  is  to  prevent  disease ;  hence  such 
suggestions  as  occur  relating  to  curative  measures, 
are  merely  hints  en  passa7tt,  no  pretence  being  made 
of  classifying  "  diseases "  or  of  prescribing  specifics 
for  their  "  cure."  One  thing,  however,  is  certain,  viz. : 
That  principle  of  treatment  which  is  best  calculated 
to  maintain  health,  is  also  best  adapted  to  restore  it. 

Charles  E.  Page. 
753  Broadway,  New  York,  Aug.  15,  1883. 


HORSES: 
THEIR   FEED   AND    THEIR   FEET. 


In  undertaking  the  congenial  task  of  writing  a 
short  treatise  on  the  horse,  I  have  not  in  mind  the 
consideration  of  all  of  his  various  ailments — the 
means,  whether  by  drugging  or  what  not,  of  "  curing" 
him  of  his  "  diseases  " — but  rather  having  him,  as  we 
do,  at  the  start,  in  health,  I  would  endeavor  to  show 
how  we  may  prevent  disease.  In  a  long  experience, 
dating  from  early  boyhood,  when  I  thought,  as  most 
persons  still  think,  that  the  principal,  if  not  the 
only,  thing  is  to  feed  high  and  often,  I  find  that  with 
horses  as  with  men,  more  of  them  decline,  become 
*'  seedy,"  emaciated,  and  sorry  sights  to  behold,  from 
overfeeding,  or,  what  is  nearly  the  same  thing,  under- 
working, or  from  a  combination  of  the  two  causes, 
than  from  any  lack  of  food  or  care,  as  the  term  ''  care  " 
is  commonly  Interpreted. 

Most  persons  love  a  horse,  and  I  have  seldom  found 
an  owner  who  would  not  go  hungry  rather  than  have 
his  horse  go  without  food.  He  will  say,  "  I  will  feed 
my  horse  before  I  will  myself,"  and,  in  practice,  too, 
will   do   it.     To  be  sure,  there   is  seldom   any  con- 


10  HORSES: 

flict  between  the  two  needs  ;  we  are  all  able  to  eat 
too  much  and  too  often,  and  incline  to  serve  our  ani- 
mals in  the  same  manner.  These  things  we  do,  what- 
ever else  is  sacrificed  or  neglected.  Even  ''  hard 
cases,"  men  who  have  not  the  means  to  purchase 
a  good  animal — that  is,  a  valuable  one — and  who 
consequently  are  seen  driving  rawny-boned,  consump- 
tive creatures,  and  win  the  name  of  starving  them — 
even  these,  as  I  have  found  upon  diligent  inquiry, 
often  take  scrupulous  care  to  feed  three  times  a  day, 
and  to  give  their  poor  dyspeptic  horses  more  food 
than  they  can  possibly  digest.  They  do  this,  all  the 
more  because  appearances  are  against  them,  and  if  it 
does  not  come  to  their  ears,  they  feel  sure  that  their 
neighbors  and  all  who  pass  or  meet  them  on  the  road, 
are  saying  something  about  "  post-meat." 

If  some  gentlemen's  driving-horses  had  more  of 
this  sort  of  diet — outdoor  air  and  freedom  from  sur- 
feit— they  would  not  so  soon  fall  into  the  hands  of 
"  five-dollar  jockeys."  How  often  our  eyes  are  pained 
at  the  sight  of  what  was  once  a  horse  to  be  proud 
of,  and  whose  owner  really  delighted  in  him,  drag- 
ging himself  along,  and  looking  as  if  it  would  be  a 
mercy  to  end  his  life.  His  old  owner  speaks  of  the 
case  sorrowfully,  and  says,  "When  I  owned  ^Jim' 
he  never  looked  like  that  ;  he  got  all  he  could  eat, 
and  I  never  overworked  him."  He  doesn't  add  the 
further  fact  that  under  his  treatment  the  horse  begun 
to  decline,  and  at  an  age,  too,  when  he  should  have 
been  in  his  prime,  and  that  he  put  him  away  in  con- 
sequence !    Although  the  horse  has  many  advantages 


If* 


/«(vr-'--'- 


Jay-Eye-See,  by  Dicfator  ;  Dam,  Midnight,  by  Pilot,  Jr.     Reduced  from  the  Sportsman. 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  n 

over  his  owner,  so  far  as  he  has  less  exciting  causes 
of  disease — still,  as  we  all  know,  his  disorders  are  of 
about  the  same  nature,  so  far  as  they  go.  He  has 
fewer  diseases  in  number  and  frequency  than  we  find 
in  the  human  family ;  and  this  comparative  exemp- 
tion from  disease  bears  a  pretty  close  relation  to  the 
plainness  of  his  diet. 

In  my  recent  work  entitled  "  Natural  Cure  of 
Consumption,"  -  in  which  I  discuss  the  advantages 
of  wheat  meal,  unbolted  and  unsifted,  over  fine 
flour  or  any  modification  of  it,  in  the  treatment 
or  prevention  of  dyspepsia — a  disorder  which  is 
at  the  root  of  almost  all  the  internal  diseases  of 
man  and  beast — I  make  use  of  the  following  lan- 
guage :  "  That  most  noble  of  all  animals  next  to 
man, — and  in  some  aspects  far  superior  to  him, — 
the  horse,  in  his  finest  and  most  delicate  state,  finds 
a  perfect  food  in  the  whole  grain,  chewing  it  himself. 
I  may,  in  the  minds  of  some,  be  weakening  my  argu- 
ment by  comparing  the  digestive  apparatus  of  man 
with  that  of  the  horse,  but  I  am  desirous  of  impress- 
ing upon  the  minds  of  my  readers  the  well-known  but 
imperfectly  considered  fact,  that  our  horse-fanciers, — - 
who  dote  on  their  ten-thousand-dollar  animals,  and 
would  feed  them  on  the  finest  of  flour,  would  place 
before  them  the  most  costly  and  complicated  cooked 
dishes  if  it  were  desirable,  or  even  not  pernicious  in  a 
health  point  of  view, — really  keep  their  dearest  pets 


*  *■  The  Natural  Cure  of  Consumption,  Dyspepsia,  Bright's 
Disease,  Rheumatism,  etc."  pp.  275,  $1.  New  York  :  Fowler 
&  Wells. 


12  HORSES: 

on  bread  and  water ;  and  that,  because  of  this,  and 
the  absence  of  all  the  hot,  stimulating  articles,  solid 
or  fluid,  indulged  in  by  their  owners,  their  regular 
and  moderate  diet  of  uncooked  food,  and  their  superior 
hygiene  in  certain  essential  matters,  our  horses  are 
saved,  in  great  measure,  from  becoming  fat,  sick, 
mean,  wheezy,  or  dyspeptic,  like  their  masters  and 
mistresses — men,  women,  and  children." 

And  yet  horses  do,  after  all,  fall  prey  to  all  these 
degraded  conditions.  In  spite  of  the  naturalness  and 
w^holesomeness  of  their  diet,  as  to  variety  and  quality, 
and  in  face  of  the  most  solicitous  and  painstaking 
care,  we  too  often  see  them  the  subject  of  tedious 
and  painful  disorders,  and  of  course  there  is  a  reason 
for  it. 

NON-VENTILATION. 

One  of  the  principal  causes  of  disease  among  horses 
as  among  human  beings  is  foul  air.  In  large  stables 
this  cause  operates  effectually,  for  seldom  is  there 
any  good  arrangement  for  ventilating,  least  of  all, 
any  efficient  means  for  maintaining  even  an  approx- 
imately pure  atmosphere.  On  the  contrary,  every 
precaution  is  taken,  in  cold  weather,  to  prevent  the 
entrance  of  fresh  air,  without  which  the  vitiated  air 
must  remain  unchanged,  loaded,  as  it  is,  with  the 
foul  emanations  from  the  urine-soaked  floors  and 
from  the  lungs  and  bodies  of  the  animals  imprisoned 
therein.  Here,  as  nowhere  else,  is  illustrated  that 
most  stupid  of  all  economies,  viz. :  the  "  saving  of 
fold  air  for  the  sake  of  its  warmth."  This  is  largely 
due  to  the  overestimate  of  the  necessity  of  keeping 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET  13 

the  temperature  of  the  stable  at  a  high  point.  Un- 
questionably horses  would  eat  more,  would  fieed  more 
food,  if  the  stable  were  kept  supplied  with  fresh 
air,  if,  in  consequence,  the  temperature  should  aver- 
age several  degrees  colder ;  but  he  is  a  mean  man 
who  would  cheat  his  horses  out  of  the  "  breath  of 
life  "  for  the  sake  of  a  little  saving  in  hay  and  grain. 
Living  themselves  in  air-tight  apartments,  and,  often 
enough,  innocent  of  all  knowledge  of  the  necessity 
for  a  constant  changing  of  the  air  in  their  own  homes, 
stable-keepers  are,  of  course,  guiltless  of  all  blame  in 
the  matter  referred  to.  They  know  that  the  warmer 
the  animals  are  kept,  by  means  of  close  stables  and 
blankets,  the  less  food  they  require,  and,  unaware  of 
the  pernicious  influence  exerted  upon  the  general 
health  of  the  animals,  this  settles  the  question.  With 
good  ventilation,  however  much  the  temperature  of 
the  air  might  be  lowered,  the  horses  would  more  than 
compensate  for  the  extra  feed,  in  improved  digestion, 
vigor,  and  general  health. 

MISTAKEN   KINDNESS. 

I  find  that  a  great  deal  of  the  care  exercised  in  the 
regimen  of  horses  by  all  classes  of  people  is — like  the 
unwise  petting  and  coddling  of  children — a  source  of 
mischief,  and  often  constitutes  positive  cruelty. 

Some  of  the  kindest  and  most  tender-hearted  per- 
sons in  the  world  spend  time  and  money,  and  exercise 
their  minds,  in  various  ways,  with  the  intention  of 
doing  for  their  horses  the  best  that  can  be  done  ;  yet, 
in  their  misconceived  efforts,  doing,  in  some  particu- 


14 


HORSES  : 


lars,  the  worst  things  possible.  That  is  to  say,  of  two 
evils  which  may  present  themselves  they  choose  the 
greatest,  or  as  between  a  good  and  an  evil  they  choose 
the  evil,  by  following  blindly  the  prevalent  "  customs 
of  the  country" — doing  all  this  year  just  as  they  did 
last,  combating  and  even  resenting  the  suggestions  of 
those  who  essay  to  introduce  innovations.  A  single 
illustration  will  serve  to  show  my  meaning  and  possi- 
bly add  to  the  comfort  of  some  of  my  equine  friends : 
A  horse  comes  to  stable  from  a  sharp  drive,  perspiring 
freely,  the  steam  rising  like  a  heavy  mist  about  him, 
and  the  "go-by-rule  "  hostler,  in  the  kindness  of  his 
heart,  as  soon  as  the  harness  is  removed  (a  rubbing 
down  being  just  then  impossible,  perhaps),  throws 
the  woolen  blanket,  perhaps  two  of  them,  if  in  severe 
cold  weather,  over  the  steaming  animal,  and  leads 
him  to  the  stall ;  and  he  will  do  this — even  his  em- 
ployer would  direct  it — in  the  very  face  of  the  sug- 
gestion from  a  bystander  that  the  effect  is  to  saturate 
the  blanket  almost  as  though  dipped  in  water,  so  that 
within  half  an  hour  the  condition  is  precisely  as 
though  the  boy  had  thrown  a  wet  blanket  over  him 
at  the  start.  A  few  minutes  on  the  stable  floor,  or  in 
his  stall,  unblanketed,  would  change  the  whole  phase 
of  the  subject,  and  then  the  dry,  warm  blanket 
would  remain  dry.  Of  course  the  question  remains 
open  as  to  the  desirability  of  blanketing  horses  at  all ; 
there  is  much  to  be  said  on  the  side  of  leaving  him 
in  his  natural  coat,  much  depending,  however,  upon 
other  considerations  affecting  the  question.  Again, 
a  horse  is  observed  to  have  lost  his  appetite,  his  hay 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET. 


15 


and  grain  remaining  untouched  or  partly  eaten.  The 
kind-hearted  owner  leaves  the  food  in  the  manger,  for 
his  horse  to  eat  when  he  wants  it,  and  explains  to 
the  "women  folks"  that  "Tom"  is  "off  his  feed," 
and  they  must  use  "  Billy,"  or  forego  their  drive — a 
little  jaunt  about  town,  perhaps,  and  just  what  over- 
fed and  underworked  Tom  needed,  while  Billy  was 
well  enough  to  stay  indoors,  if  necessary!  But  of 
this  more  will  be  said  further  on. 

INSTINCT  vs.   REASON. 

The  intelligence  of  men,  so  often  and  in  so  many 
particulars,  resembles  the  instinct  of  dumb  animals, 
that  I  find  therein  an  unanswerable  argument  in  favor 
of  the  view  that  the  difference  between  our  reason 
and  theirs  is  one  of  degree  only.  In  point  of  fact, 
we  find  instances  wherein  exceptionally  intelligent 
animals  are  positively  the  superiors,  in  all  that  gives 
evidence  of  logical  thinking,  of  exceptionally  unintel- 
ligent men.  It  is  instinct  only  (if  we  are  to  distin- 
guish between  instinct  and  reason)  which  prompts  a 
man  to  speedily  blanket  a  heated  and  steaming  horse  ; 
it  is  reason  which  impels  another  to  refrain  from  the 
act.  It  is  instinct  which  prompts  most  men  to  feed 
their  horses  just  so  often  and  at  just  such  times, 
irrespective  of  their  work  or  their  physical  condition  ; 
it  is  reason  which  impels  one  to  withhold  a  feed, 
or  to  give  his  horse  a  fast-day,  or  to  reduce  the 
number  of  his  meals,  if  it  should  be  found  from  the 
experience  of  others  that  less  are  better.  There  are 
times  when  the  regular  "  feed,"  however  hungry  the 


1 6  HORSES: 

horse  may  be,  Is  extremely  cruel, — times,  indeed,  when 
it  means  a  painful  death.  Horses  do  not  die  from 
overdriving  alone  ;  at  least,  not  often.  I  am  inclined 
to  think  that  in  99  cases  in  the  100,  when  this  is  the 
supposed  cause  of  death,  and  when  without  such  over- 
exertion the  horse  might  have  continued  to  live,  except 
for  some  wrong  condition  connected  with  his  diet,  he 
would  still  not  only  have  lived,  but  would  have  with- 
stood the  great  strain  without  harjn  ;  in  other  words, 
what  proved  too  great  a  strain  for  him,  fed  as  he 
was,  would  not  have  been  excessive,  or,  at  least,  not 
fatal,  had  he  been  fitted  for  it  by  judicious  treat- 
ment, and  had  the  strain  been  succeeded  by  reasona- 
ble, or  reaso7ti7ig,  care,  instead  of  routine  care,  which 
I  place  under  the  head  of  i7istinctive.  Often  enough, 
it  is  the  care  and  treatment  which  are  most  kindly 
intended  that  kill  or  break  down  animals  prematurely, 
and  put  them,  as  before  remarked,  into  the  keeping 
of  those  who  can  only  obtain  the  ownership  of  cheap 
horses ;  and  such  persons,  by  continuing  the  very 
means  which  have  made  their  horses  dyspeptic  and 
emaciated,  keep  them  so  and  prevent  the  recovery 
which  might  often  be  assured  by  a  strictly  hygienic 
and  curative  regimen. 

HOW  TO   MANAGE. 

We  occasionally  observe  an  instance  wherein  an 
especially  intelligent  stable-keeper  buys  a  seedy,  pot- 
bellied horse,  perhaps,  of  a  farmer,  who  has  been  in 
the  habit  of  keeping  hay  in  the  creature's  crib  all  the 
time,  the  horse  munching  away,  eating  or  nibbling 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET,  ly 

constantly  whenever  he  can  work  up  an  appetite,  or, 
as  in  some  cases,  gormandizing  as  if  he  was  an  ani- 
mated hay-cutter  and  nothing  else.  The  man  puts 
him  into  his  stable,  feeds  him  little  and  regularly — 
hay  morning  and  night,  and  in  amount  only  what  he 
will  eat  up  clean  with  a  sharp  appetite  ;  or,  if  of  the 
insatiable-appetite  type,  limiting  him  to  a  rational 
quantity,  giving  him  light  feed  three  times  a  day 
(grain  only  at  noon),  but  giving  him  regular  exercise 
or  work  every  day.  The  result  of  this  treatment  is  a 
complete  transformation,  which  I  need  not  describe 
in  detail ;  but,  from  a  hide-bound,  lazy,  and  almost 
useless  piece  of  horse-flesh,  he  produces  a  tough,  hard, 
clean  roadster  of  great  value. 

Sometimes  this  same  transformation  is  secured  with- 
out any  great  degree  of  intelligence  on  the  part  of  the 
owner,  but  is  rather  a  streak  of  good  luck.  Buying 
an  overfed  and  underworked  dyspeptic  horse,  because 
he  is  "  cheap,"  feeding  him  well,  but  giving  him  an 
abundance  of  work,  because  he  has  the  work  for  him 
to  do,  the  necessary  conditions  are  established,  and 
the  horse  begins  to  thrive  and  acquire  condition,  to 
the  entire  surprise  of  his  owner  perhaps. 

This  could  never  have  been  accomplished  upon  any 
system  of  feeding  alone ;  muscles  do  not  grow  except 
as  they  are  used ;  nor  is  it  possible  to  fatten  some 
horses  so  as  to  give  them  even  the  semblance  of  condi- 
tio7t,  which  so  often  deceives  the  novice,  who,  buying 
a  sleek,  handsome  horse,  finds,  upon  putting  him  to 
use,  that  his  fat  melts  oiT  and  out  of  the  degenerated 
carcass ;   and  he,  not   knowing  the  cause,  does  not 


1 8  HORSES: 

know  how  to  prevent  the  decline,  or  to  build  the 
creature  up  anew. 

CONDITION   IN   HORSES. 

"  Condition  has  much  to  do  with  the  question  of  abil- 
ity to  undergo  severe  labor  in  inclement  weather  with- 
out undue  hazard,"  says  a  writer  in  the  National  Live 
Stock  Journal.  "  Condition  is  a  state  of  the  body  not 
acquired  in  a  day,  as  all  experienced  horsemen  know. 
Without  this,  the  trotting  or  the  running  horse  is 
well  understood  to  possess  no  hardiness;  in  other 
words,  no  power  of  endurance  under  hard  pushing, 
and  at  the  same  time  a  vital  stamina  that  will  enable 
the  possessor  to  ward  off  disease,  though  hard  pressed 
and  overheated.  An  attempt  often  made  by  the 
novice  to  put  a  horse  in  condition  for  hard  labor  by 
suddenly  increasing  his  feed,  is  inevitably  followed 
by  failure.  Only  a  system  of  prudent,  steady  feed- 
ing, daily,  vigorous  exercise  of  the  muscles  being 
practiced  at  the  same  time,  will  insure  success.  If 
this  be  omitted,  the  animal  will  perspire  freely,  with 
even  moderate  exertion.  His  heart  will  be  found 
to  increase  the  frequency  of  its  motions,  thumping 
against  the  ribs  more  or  less  violently.  This  can 
easily  be  detected  by  placing  the  ear  over  the  region 
of  the  heart,  or,  in  fact,  over  any  part  of  the  chest  in 
proximity  to  the  heart.  Suddenly  feeding  the  horse 
to  put  him  ill  flesh  fuxes  a  tendency  to  this.  Steady 
muscular  exertion  builds  against  this  tendency,  and 
effectually  removes  it,  if  the  practice  be  thoroughly 
carried  out.    Do  not  mistake  by  supposing  that  these 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET.  19 

evil  results  of  quick  fattening,  called  "  softness,"  will 
only  follow  fast  work.  A  severe  pull — even  a  single 
effort,  if  severe — will  cause  as  vigorous  spasmodic 
efforts  of  the  heart  as  though  the  animal  had  been 
hard  driven  under  the  lash." 

This  palpitation  and  sweating,  easily  and  quickly, 
are  indications  of  weakness,  though  the  horse  may  be 
a  very  spirited  and  "  strong-going  "  one.  This  is  espe- 
cially true  of  a  class  of  horses  termed  "  pullers  "  when 
they  are  not  given  much  work,  as  in  the  case  cited 
further  on.  There  are  few  trotting  horses  but  suffer 
more  or  less  during  portions  of  the  year  from  this 
disease,  viz. :  degeneration  of  the  muscular  system — 
of  the  entire  organism,  in  fact.  This  fully  accounts 
for  so  many  fine  horses  "  going  lame  "  suddenly.  The 
cause  may  be  truly  enough  said  to  be  a  sprain ;  but 
why  the  sprain?  Simply  because  the  muscles  and 
tendons,  instead  of  being  tough,  clean,  and  sound,  are 
degenerated  from  lack  of  suf^cient  use.  Instead  of 
keeping  his  muscular  system  firm  and  sound,  his  ap- 
pearance of  condition  is  maintained  by  feed  alone  ; 
and  when  taken  out  for  a  little  speeding,  he  strains 
himself  a  little,  snap  go  a  few  strands  of  a  muscle, 
and  he  has  to  be  hauled  off  and  "  doctored "  at  a 
great  loss  to  his  owner. 

THE  IMPORTANCE   OF  AVORK 

in  putting  a  horse  in  condition  is  not  fully  appreci- 
ated ;  but  it  can  never  be  done,  never  has  been  done, 
without.     Many  a  valuable  animal  maintains  a  fine 


20  HORSES: 

appearance  with  little  daily  exercise  ;  but  put  such  a 
horse  suddenly  on  to  severe  work  and  his  lack  of 
muscle  soon  becomes  apparent.  He  has  no  staying 
power ;  his  fat  melts  away  and  shows  him  for  what 
he  was  all  the  time — thin  in  flesh.  Mr.  P.,  a  young 
man  in  my  own  town,  went  into  the  grocery  business. 
He  owned  a  poor  little  horse,  and  having  no  surplus 
capital,  he  thought  he  would  '*get  along"  with  this 
one  at  first  until  trade  should  increase  to  the  point  of 
compelling  him  to  make  a  change.  He  had  been  vainly 
trying  to  "  fat  him  up  "  with  food  alone,  with  the  in- 
tent of  selling  him,  as  he  had  nothing  for  him  to  do  ; 
but  he  now  began  to  "  pick  up,"  and  finally,  flying 
about  town  from  6  A.M.,  to  ii,  and  sometimes  later, 
pulling  a  pretty  heavy  wagon  all  the  time,  and,  upon 
occasion,  taking  the  family  out  for  a  ride  in  the  after- 
noon and  evening,  he  became  plump  and  handsome 
and  virtually  proof  against  work  and  weather.  He 
looked  fat,  but,  speaking  roundly,  there  "  wasn't  a 
spoonful  of  fat  about  him  ";  he  used  his  muscles  and 
so  th^Y  grew,  and  being  sufficiently  fed,  his  food  was 
all  digested  and  assimilated,  and  went  to  nourish  the 
muscular  system  so  that  it  could  grow.  Not  work 
alone,  nor  food  alone  ;  but  both  together,  in  generous 
measure — work,  rest,  and  food — enough  of  each,  and 
pure  air  twenty-four  hours  in  the  day — this  is  the  law 
and  gospel  of  horse  hygiene.  In  fact,  the  same  prin- 
ciple holds  with  regard  to  human  beings.  "  Work 
don't  kill,"  says  Burdette  ;  "  it  is  too  much  recrea- 
tion, my  boy,  that  does  the  business  for  the  most  of 
them."     Overwork  is  injurious,  and  may  be  fatal ;  but 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  2 1 

the  chief  danger  from  hard  work  comes  from  its  being 
suddenly  applied  to  horse,  man,  woman,  or  child,  in 
the  absence  of  co7idition.  The  only  offset  to  absti- 
nence from  exercise  is  restriction  in  diet ;  but  vigor- 
ous health  can  only  come  from  enough  of  both. 

A  SOFT   HORSE. 

Just  SO  far  as  fullness  of  body  is  maintained  by 
liberal  feed,  in  default  of  equally  liberal  work,  just  so 
far  do  the  size  and  quality  of  the  muscles  deteriorate. 
Muscle  (flesh)  is  one  thing ;  fat,  another.  The  latter 
is  disease,  pure  and  simple.  Although  this  principle 
is  recognized  very  generally  in  practice — for  nobody 
"  backs  "  a  fat  horse — it  is  fully  comprehended  by 
very  few.  Indeed,  I  am  amazed  to  find  how  few 
know  the  real  difference  between  two  animals,  one 
in  "  condition,"  that  is,  muscular,  plump,  and  round 
because  of  the  muscles  having  been  built  up  by 
use,  and  one  that  is  simply  fat.  The  fact  is,  the 
fat  horse  (or  the  fat  man,  or  any  other  fat  creature) 
has  not  a  sound  tissue  or  organ  in  his  body;  what 
muscle  he  has  is  excessively  mixed  with  fatty 
matters ;  that  is,  the  muscular  tissue  itself  has 
shrunken  and  given  place  to  globules  of  fat,  or  in 
other  words,  the  creature  may  be  said  to  be  suf- 
fering from  fatty  degeneration.  It  is  not  necessary 
for  the  individual,  whether  man  or  beast,  to  be  gross 
in  form  before  he  can  be  said  to  suffer  from  this  dis- 
ease. The  very  day  upon  which  the  balance  is  de- 
stroyed, between  diet  and  exercise  (the  former  exceed- 


22  HORSES: 

ing  the  latter)  degeneration  begins ;  the  muscles  begin 
to  diminish  in  size  and  to  grow  "soft."  If  any  one 
wishes  to  comprehend  this  point,  let  him  examine 
carefully  and  compare  a  slice  of  sirloin  from  a  fat, 
stall-fed  ox,  and  one  from  the  loin  of  a  working  ox, 
slaughtered  before  fattening.  Every  farmer  knows 
that  in  life  the  latter  can  "  pull "  the  stall-fed  ox  and 
his  load.  Mark  the  clean,  red  appearance  of  the  mus- 
cle in  the  one  case,  with  no  perceptible  covering  or 
admixture  of  fat,  and  mark  the  size  of  the  muscle  itself, 
as  compared  with  that  of  the  creature  that  is  not  sup- 
posed to  be  fit  to  eat  until  he  has  been  made  unfit 
for  work  !  The  very  terms  used  to  describe  a  de- 
licious steak  or  roast  tell  the  story — ^^  tender  and 
well  mixed."  It  is  not  a  tender  and  well-mixed 
muscle  that  makes  a  record  of  2.1 1,  or  draws  a  heavy 
load  v/ith  ease,  but  just  the  reverse  —  tough  and  un- 
mixed with  fat. 

It  is  quite  customary  to  keep  up  the  feed  of 
trotting  horses,  between  seasons,  permitting  them  to 
become  somewhat  fat,  and  then  when  they  are  to  be 
fitted  for  sharp  work,  this  fat  is  worked  off  and  out, 
while  muscle  is  being  worked  on,  and  improved 
in  quality,  by  getting  rid  of  the  fat,  which  has 
been  taking  the  place  of  the  muscular  fibre.  In 
other  words,  the  horse  is  forced  to  take  on  disease, 
by  feeding  him  in  excess  of  his  work,  and  then  is 
cured  by  restoring  the  just  balance  between  work 
and  feed.  This  is,  in  my  judgment,  very  bad  policy — 
proving  in  the  end  exhaustive  of  vital  force — ruins  a 
great  many  valuable  horses,  and  injures  all  that  are 


Alcantara,  by  George  Wilkes.     Dam,  Alma  Mater,  by  Mambrino  Patchen.     Reduced  from 

the  Sportsman. 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  23 

thus  treated.*  Ample  rest  is  no  doubt  beneficial  to 
horses  who  are  at  times  put  to  ^^reat  strain  ;  but  the 
aim  should  be  to  maintain  the  balance.  They  should 
be  fed  physiologically.  "  Little  work,  little  feed," 
should  be  the  rule  ;  unless,  indeed,  the  horse-owner 
feels  the  necessity — since  he  is  dependent,  usually 
(if  a  dealer),  upon  the  fat,  sleek  appearance  of  his 
horses — of  keeping  up  the  appearance  of  his  animals, 
whether  they  get  much  exercise  or  not.  But  this 
does  not  demand  three  meals,  by  any  means,  since 
the  horse  will  eat  at  two  more  than  he  can  digest  and 
assimilate,  and  may  be  kept  fat  on  this  system,  and 
with  less  danger  of  an  outbreak  of  disease,  than  if  he 
were  more  frequently  fed.  But  this  question — the 
number  of  meals — is  fully  discussed,  and  examples 
cited,  further  on. 

The  following  contribution  to  Turf,  Field,  and 
Farm,  concerning  the  number  of  meals  best  for  all 
classes  of  horses,  has  brought  me  several  letters  cor- 
roborating the  position  therein  taken,  and  also  others 
asking  specific  advice  as  to  the  best  regimen  under 
special  conditions  of  work,  etc.,  as  in  case  of  stage 


*  I  long  ago  predicted  that  the  time  would  come  when  the 
winning  horse,  or  man,  would  be  he  who  trained  on  flesh,  instead 
oioff'y  that  is,  who  had  no  fat  to  get  rid  of,  but  would  gain  in 
weight  from  the  start,  during  every  day's  work,  until  the  max- 
imum of  muscle  and  muscular  power  was  reached.  This  year  I 
am  pleased  to  see  this  prediction  verified  by  the  account  that 
comes  across  the  water,  viz. :  that  in  the  last  three  races  of  cer- 
tain English  boat  clubs,  the  winning  crew  has  been  the  one  that 
gained  in  weight  during  training  ! 


24  •  HORSES: 

teams,  where  the  work  is  performed  out  of  season  of 
at  unusual  hours  : 

THE   TWO-MEAL   SYSTEM   FOR  HORSES. 

"  BiDDEFORD,  Me.,  Dec.  9,  1882. 

"  Editors  of  Turf,  Field,  and  Farm  : — A  writer  in 
the  Mirror  and  Far^ner  speaks  of  having  fed  his  cattle 
on  the  two-meal  system  for  the  past  seven  years,  and 
finds  no  occasion  for  feeding  oftener ;  in  fact,  he  says 
they  thrive  better  than  on  the  '  cramming  system,'  or 
more  frequent  feeding. 

**  Although  I  have  never  doubted  that  this  system 
would  work  as  favorable  with  horned  cattle,  my  own 
experience  has  been  confined  mostly  to  human  beings 
and  horses.  According  to  my  judgment,  if  applied 
to  work  or  road  horses  it  will  increase  their  work- 
ing capacity  very  largely.  That  is,  a  given  horse 
will  do  more  work,  day  after  day,  either  in  the  cart, 
before  the  plow,  or  on  the  road,  and  keep  in  prime 
condition  ;  besides  it  would  surely,  because  of  his  im- 
proved health,  tend  to  prolong  his  life,  and  extend  his 
years  of  usefulness.  But  aside  from  mere  theorizing 
or  dogmatically  asserting  my  opinion,  which,  however, 
I  find  is  corroborated  by  every  one  who  has  given 
this  system  a  fair  trial,  I  will  give  here  an  illustra- 
tion as  to  its  operation  on  road  horses.  I  bought  a 
little,  *  chunky '  mare,  six  years  old,  fat  and  lazy,  fit 
for  nothing  but  a  timid  woman's  use — just  right,  one 
would  say,  for  the  women  and  children  to  jog  round 
town  with.  She  would  travel  about  four  and  a  half 
to  five  miles  an  hour  with  considerable  urging,  and  if 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET. 


25 


pressed  beyond  that  would  sweat  profusely.  Hav- 
ing been  recently  imported  from  Canada,  it  was  pre- 
dicted by  all  the  horsemen  about  that  she  would  have 
'  the  distemper '  as  a  matter  of  course.  In  order  to 
more  effectually  guard  against  this,  I  fed  her  but 
once  a  day  for  a  couple  of  weeks,  giving  her  from  ten 
to  twenty  miles'  jogging  every  day,  Sundays  included, 
thus  reducing  the/^/,  and  increasing  t\\Q  flesh  /  Her 
one  meal  consisted  of  a  very  generous  feed  of  hay, 
and  four  quarts  of  oats  at  night,  after  being  thor- 
oughly rested  from  work.  After  this,  and  with  a 
considerable  increase  of  work  (averaging,  all  told,  150 
miles  per  week),  I  gave  her  a  light  feed  of  hay  and 
two  quarts  of  oats  in  the  morning.  In  the  course  of 
six  months  her  weight,  which  had  at  first  fallen  off 
quite  rapidly,  was  but  slightly  less  than  when  I  took 
her ;  but  it  was  made  up  of  a  different  substance  al- 
together. I  had  exchanged  100  pounds  of  fat  for  75 
pounds  of  flesh ;  or,  in  other  words,  I  had-  relieved 
her  of  that  much  disease  (effectually  preventing  the 
predicted  outbreak),  and  had  built  up  in  its  place  a 
large  amount  of  muscle,  at  the  same  time  improving 
the  quality  of  her  entire  muscular  system. 

''  Speaking  in  a  general  way,  a  horse  is  an  engine 
made  up  of  muscles  which  increase  in  size  and  qual- 
ity by  increased  tcse  (always  supposing  a  sufficient 
diet),  and  diminish  in  size,  as  well  as  in  power,  if  the 
work  is  less  or  lighter.  Consequently,  if  the  horse 
is  fed  for  health  {i.  e.,  in  proportion  to  his  labor), 
his  weight  will  diminish  with  lessened,  and  increase 
with    added,  work.      In    feeding   in   the    morning   I 


26  HORSES: 

aimed  to  allow  some  two  hours  or  more — the  more 
the  better — for  that  digestion  which  takes  place  in 
the  stomach,  before  she  was  harnessed,  and  the 
evening  meal  was  never  given  until  long  enough 
after  she  came  to  the  stable  to  insure  her  being  well 
rested  from  her  labor,  and  this  though  her  dinner 
was  postponed  till  a  late  hour  at  night.  Whenever 
I  had  occasion,  and  I  sometimes  took  occasion,  to 
give  her  some  early  work,  her  breakfast  would  be 
postponed  until  long  after  the  driye  was  finished,  or 
to  a  convenient  hour  when  rested  and  not  obliged 
to  resume  work  soon  thereafter.  Within  four  months 
this  little  fat,  soft,  *  logy '  mare  was  transformed  into 
a  clean-bodied,  tough,  hard  little  roadster  that  would 
take  two  in  a  buggy  eight  miles  an  hour  for  three  or 
four  hours,  and  after  an  hour's  rest  take  them  back 
again  in  the  same  time,  and  do  it,  too,  without  whip- 
ping or  showing  any  symptom  of  lagging.  When  I 
sold  her  I  told  the  buyer  how  I  fed  her.  Did  he 
learn  anything  ?  No,  indeed.  *  Well,'  said  he,  '  I 
shall  give  her  all  she  wants  three  times  a  day,  as  long 
as  /  own  her.'  I  see  her  now  every  day  ;  she  is  just 
about  where  she  was  when  I  took  her — fat  and  soft, 
and  will   sweat  profusely  if   driven  fifteen   miles  in 

three  hours." 

EXTRA    RATIONS. 

Occasionally  horses  are,  through  cruelty,  and  some- 
times unwittingly  on  the  part  of  their  drivers,  driven 
to  exhaustion  ;  and  it  frequently  happens  that  a 
horse  gives  out  without  having  been  pushed  hard, 
and  to  the  complete  surprise  of  his  owner,  who  can 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  27 

not  account  for  it.  "  I  knew  he  had  a  hard  jaunt 
before  him,"  says  the  owner,  "  and  I  gave  him  a 
couple  of  quarts  extra  at  breakfast,  but  he  gave  out 
before  he  got  half-way ;  in  fact,  he  wasn't  himself 
from  the  start."  The  old  saying  that  "  a  good  pay- 
master pays  after  the  work  is  done,"  applies  here  :  a 
good  horseman  feeds  to-day  in  proportion  to  the  work 
his  horse  did  'yesterday.  He  pays  him  well,  and  every 
day,  but  never  in  advance.  The  fact  is  this  :  The 
digestive  fluids  are  formed  in  the  blood  and  remain 
subject  to  order,  in  proportion  to  the  needs  of  the 
organism  for  food,  and  not  in  proportion  to  the 
amount  of  food  swallowed, — the  "  needs  "  having  ref- 
erence to  work  already  performed,  cold  endured,  etc. 
Other  things  being  equal,  the  horse  that  is  hard  pushed 
on  an  empty  stomach,  will  bear  more  before  breaking 
down,  and,  if  driven  to  exhaustion,  has  a  far  better 
chance  to  recover  well,  than  the  one  driven  in  like 
manner,  but  fed  immediately  before  starting,  and 
halted  just  long  enough  to  swallow  his  dinner  en 
route.  The  rest,  without  the  meal,  would  have  been 
far  better. 

I  am  aware  that  in  making  this  statemicnt  I  am 
running  counter  to  the  opinions  of  most  men,  based, 
as  they  are,  largely  upon  their  own  sensations  when 
deprived  of  their  regular  meals.  "  Needn't  tell  me," 
says  the  owner  ;  "  I  won't  work  without  my  regular 
food,  nor  let  my  horse  ";  which^  sentiment  is  every 
way  praiseworthy,  and  does  honor  to  the  man's  heart. 
Nevertheless,  I  can  not  withdraw  the  statement,  for 
my  opinion  is  based  upon  absolute  knowledge  from 


28  HORSES: 

trial,  both  In  the  case  of  the  horse  and  myself.  When 
I  ate  three  meals  a  day,  I  was,  as  nearly  all  men  tell 
me  is  the  case  with  them,  "  hungry  '*  at,  often  indeed 
before,  every  regular  meal.  If  the  meal  was  not 
forthcoming  from  any  cause,  I  felt  faint  and  my 
stomach  would  "gnaw."  I  learned,  after  a  time,  that 
under  such  circumstances  a  meal  lost  was  a  better 
Qne  gained  ;  that,  in  short,  this  was  a  disease  and  not 
a  natural  condition  at  all,  albeit  it  is  the  common  ex- 
perience of  most  persons.  No  person  feels  faint  upon 
passing  a  meal,  or  has  a  gnawing  stomach,  except.it 
be  occasioned  by  an  irritated  or  unduly  congested 
state  of  that  organ.  It  is  a  sure  proof  of  dyspepsia 
(using  this  term  in  its  popular  sense,  as  implying  the 
condition  of  the  organ).  Strictly  speaking,  .the  term 
is  a  synonym  of  mdigestion, 

DYSPEPSIA  OR  INDIGESTION 

results  from  giving  the  digestive  organs  more  than 
they  can  do.  There  are  times  when  they  can  do' 
nothing,  or  next  to  nothing ;  and  when  to  give  them 
nothing  to  do  is  curative,  viz.:  in  fever ^  when  we 
observe  the  effort  of  the  organism  to  eliminate  the 
impurities  which  constitute  the  real  disease.  The  dis- 
charge from  the  nasal  mucous  membrane,  for  example, 
in  epizootic  influenza,  frees  the  system  of  poisonous 
elements,  sometimes  amounting  to  several  pounds  a 
day.  In  this  view  we  recognize  the  running  at  the 
nose  as  the  ciire^  and  not  the  disease.  A  cribbing 
horse,  or  one  that  will  eat  everything  before  him,  no 
less  than  the  one  with  a  precarious  appetite,  is  a  dys- 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET. 


29 


peptic ;  all  such  are  suffering  from  disease  of  the 
digestive  organs.  Since  horses  do  not  eat  fish,  flesh, 
and  fowl,  and  the  pernicious  condiments  associated 
with  these  stimulating  articles  of  diet,  and  are  free 
from,  all  nuisances  in  the  form  of  pastry,  puddings, 
spices,  and  bon-bons,  they  have  only  two  sources  for 
digestive  disorder,  viz. :  (i)  Excess  in  diet,  and  (2) 
wrong  condition  at  the  time  of  eating. 

It  is  true — most  emphatically  true — that  unless 
the  stable  is  well  ventilated,  the  horse  must  suffer  for 
want  of  pure  air.  Poor  food  and  pure  air  make  bet- 
ter blood  than  the  best  of  food  and  foul  air ;  and  if 
there  is  abuse  in  this  regard,  the  animal  may  fatten — 
in  fact,  this  tends  to  insure  fattening,  since,  for  want 
of  pure  air  in  the  lungs,  the  excretories  (the  lungs 
themselves,  the  liver,  kidneys,  skin,  and  bowels)  can 
not  perform  their  functions  in  eliminating  the  foul 
products  of  the  natural  waste  of  the  system,  and  of  in- 
digestion, in  case  of  excess  in  diet.  Hence  the  animal 
becomes  diseased,  and  along  with  constitutional  dis- 
order, the  digestive  organs  themselves  become  im- 
paired ;  and  thus  fattening  may  be  called  a  third  source 
of  digestive  disorder.  I  repeat  that  no  creature,  man 
or  beast,  should  eat  when  tired,  or  directly  before 
commencing  hard  work. 

REST  AFTER   EATING. 

The  experiment  of  Jules  Virez  s^ettled  the  question 
as  to  the  non-digestion  of  food  in  default  of  rest. 
He  selected  two  curs  of  the  same  size,  age,  and 
general  physique^  made  them  fast  a  day,  and  treated 


so 


HORSES: 


them  the  next  morning  to  a  square  meal  of  potato- 
chips  and  cubes  of  fat  mutton  ;  but  as  soon  as  one  of 
them  had  eaten  his  fill,  he  made  the  other  stop,  too. 
Making  sure  that  they  had  both  consumed  the  same 
quantity,  Dog  No.  i  was  confined  in  a  comfortable 
kennel,  while  No.  2  had  to  run  after  the  doctor's 
coach,  not  at  a  breathless  rate  of  speed,  but  at  a  fair, 
£.risk  trot,  for  two  hours  and  a  half.  As  soon  as  they 
got  home  the  coach-dog  and  his  comrade  were  slain 
and  dissected  ;  the  kennel-dog  had  completely  di- 
gested his  meal,  while  the  chips  and  cubes  in  the 
coach-dog's  stomach  had  not  changed  their  form  at 
all ;  the  process  of  digestion  had  not  even  begun  ! 
"And,"  continues  Dr.  Oswald,  from  whose  "  Physical 
Education"  this  incident  is  taken,  "railroad  laborers, 
who  bolt  their  dinner  during  a  short  interval  of  hard 
work,  had  better  pass  their  recess  in  a  hammock. 
Instead  of  strengthening  them,  their  dinner  will  only 
oppress  them,  till  it  is  digested,  together  with  their 
supper,  in  the  cool  of  the  evening,"  or  at  night  when 
they  are  in  bed, — the  digestion  being  poorly  done 
'midst  distressing  and  exhausting  dreams.  It  is  not 
the  evening  meal  which  disturbs  the  troubled  sleeper ; 
it  is  rather  the  three  loads  in  the  same  barrel  that 
"kick." 

It  does  not  follow  from  this  that  a  horse  may  not 
be  harnessed  soon,  or  immediately  after  eating,  when 
occasion  calls,  with  the  probability  that  no  harm  will 
result,  provided  the  pace  be  moderate,  and  due  care 
be  taken  not  to  overdrive.  The  digestion  of  a  meal 
may  often  be  delayed,  however  undesirable  as  a  rule, 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET.  31 

without  causing  serious  disturbance, — the  stomach 
resuming  its  work  at  the  first  period  of  leisure,  or  as 
soon  as  the  voluntary  muscular  system  has  been  rested 
sufficiently  to  permit  the  blood  to  flow  freely  through 
the  mucous  membrane  of  the  stomach.  No  doubt 
Dr.  Virez's  coach-dog  would  have  digested  his  break- 
fast had  he  lived  a  few  hours  longer.  But  while  the 
aim  should  be  to  regard  the  principle  here  laid  down, 
as  closely  as  practicable,  it  is  evident  that,  if  no  atten- 
tion whatever  be  paid  to  it,  the  danger  is  lessened 
one-third  by  dispensing  with  the  midday  meal. 

Providing  always  the  horse  be  liberally,  that  is  suf- 
ficiently fed,  the  time  of  feeding  is  of  small  account 
compared  with  the  vital  necessity  of  obeying  this 
natural  law  in  order  to  prevent  indigestion.  With  a 
strict  observance  of  this  law — and  the  two-meal  sys- 
tem renders  this  an  easy  matter — if  the  horse  is 
never  over-i&A  nor  kept  in  a  stived-up  stable,  he  will 
not  get  foundered,  have  "  pink-eye "  (pneumonia), 
nor  ''  catch  cold,"  though  every  stable  in  town  may 
be  decimated  with  an  "epidemic."  The  same  horse 
will  do  more  work,  stand  more  exposure,  and  keep 
in  prime  working  order,  fed  upon  this  principle,  than 
under  the  ordinary  method,  which  is  that  he  must 
have  his  feed  at  or  near  the  regular  hour,  with  three 
meals  every  day. 

I  once  took  a  "pulling"  mare,  just  up  from  past- 
ure, where  she  had  been  all  summer.  She  was,  of 
course,  very  round — filled  out  full  with  fat  and  wa- 
ter. I  obtained  possession  of  this  mare  expressly  to 
test  the  effect  of  the  "  rational  system  "  on  a 
"puller" — a  horse  of  whom  it  was  said,  "She  hasn't 


32  HORSES: 

any  judgment/*  *'  She  wants  to  get  there  too  soon," 
etc.  She  was  no  comfort  to  anybody,  no  woman 
could  drive  her,  and  few  men  cared  to  ride  after  her.  I 
put  her  at  once  on  the  two-meal  plan,  and  gave  her 
ten  to  twenty  miles'  sharp  drive  daily.  In  a  week 
my  wife,  who  is  by  no  means  anything  of  a  horse- 
woman, was  driving  Mollie  everywhere  in  perfect 
safety.  In  a  few  months  this  mare,  like  her  prede- 
cessor, was  transformed  completely  from  a  fat  to  a 
muscular  animal.  In  her  case  the  indigestion,  caused 
by  over-frequent  feeding,  which  made  the  other — and 
which  makes  so  many  others,  indeed — "lazy,"  had 
the  effect  to  keep  her  so  irritated  and  nervous  that 
she  was  headstrong  and  not  readily  manageable. 
We  see  these 

TWO    PHASES   OF   DISEASE 

all  about  us  in  the  case  of  human  animals.  A  lazy  man 
is  a  sick  man  ;  at  least,  his  lack  of  energy  is  due  to  pos- 
itive disorder.  Whether  he  be  fat,  lean,  or  medium  ; 
a  gourmand  or  a  "  poor  feeder,"  his  physical  condition 
is  abnormal.  If  an  obese  gourmand,  his  whole  vital 
force  may  be  necessary  to  digest  his  food  and  expel 
the  excess  beyond  what  the  cellular  tissue  can  store 
up  in  the  form  of  fat.  The  lean  glutton's  organism 
is  taxed  in  like  manner;  while  the  poor  tired  dys- 
peptic— who  eats  but  little,  and  that  without  satis- 
faction— suffers  from  faulty  nutrition,  because  7ione 
of  his  food  is  well  digested.  The  thin,  wiry,  "  nerv- 
ous '*  man  or  woman,  who  never  can  bear  to  rest — 
the  human  "puller" — suffers  from  a  complication  of 
disorders,  resulting  from  a  body  and  brain  poisoned 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET. 


33 


by  the  products  of  indigestion — poisoned  as  truly  as 
though  a  drug  were  being  administered  three  times  a 
day. 

When  I  sold  the  "  reclaimed  lunatic  "  Mollie,  she 
was,  in  spite  of  my  urgent  advice,  returned  to  her 
old  way  of  feeding.  The  first  month,  on  three 
meals,  she  lost  thirty  pounds ;  although,  or  rather 
because  she  had  less  than  half  the  work  she  had  been 
doing.  After  this  she  began  to  increase  in  weight 
until  her  original  weight  was  reached.  But  she  had 
exchanged  muscle  for  fat  ;  and,  although  she  did  not 
afterward  ''  pull,"  she  never  has  since,  nor  had  she 
ever  before,  the  condition — the  muscular  power,  the 
ability  to  do  a  long  hard  day's  work  with  little  ef- 
fort— as  during  the  year  I  owned  her. 

[Since  the  above  was  written,  the  mare,  from  full 
feeding  and  light  work,  began  to  show  unmistakable 
symptoms  of  chest-founder,  and,  upon  my  renewing 
the  suggestion,  her  owner  decided  to  leave  out  the 
noon  feed — reducing  her  diet  from  nine  quarts  of  corn 
and  oats  to  six  of  oats;  feeding  only  twice,  morning 
and  night.  Two  months  of  this  regimen,  combined 
with  an  increase  of  her  daily  exercise,  is  fast  banish- 
ing all  signs  of  lameness]. 

In  one  other  instance,  a  transient  season  of  this 
plan — a  few  weeks  only  under  my  administration — be- 
gun a  favorable  change  in  an  old  and  valuable  horse 
that  was  looking  a  little  ''  seedy."  .  In  this  case,  sim- 
ply leaving  out  the  noon  feed,  giving  the  regular 
breakfast  and  supper  (of  the  same  amount  each  as 
had  been  given  all  along),  set  the  horse  to  gaining  in 


34 


HORSES: 


weight  and  appearance.  She  had  become  dyspeptic 
from  overfeeding.  I  have  never  known  an  instance 
where  the  system,  pursued  year  after  year,  resulted 
in  failure.  I  could  name  a  score  or  more  cases  as 
marked  as  those  here  given ;  while,  in  many  more, 
the  only  apparent  effect  upon  good  horses,  that  v/ere 
already  in  good  health  and  condition,  has  been  to 
keep  them  thus  v/ith  something  less  of  feed.  But 
the  gain  in  feed  and  saving  of  time  is  trifling  com- 
pared with  the  saving  of  horseflesh ;  for  animals  that 
are  habitually  fed  at  noon  (even  if  the  ''  two  meals  " 
are  divided  into  three),  will  sooner  or  later  get  se- 
verely hurt,  by  reas'on  of  the  heat  and  fatigue  of  the 
forenoon  and  the  resumption  of  v/ork  again  in  the 
afternoon,  since  this  prevents  the  digestion  of  the 
mid-day  meal. 

C.  H.,  of  Brunswick,  Me.,  "in  the  grave-stone  busi- 
ness," which  he  represented  as  being  very  hard  on 
horses,  "  used  up,"  as  he  expresses  it,  several  horses 
while  feeding  them  generously  three  times  a  day. 
The  last  one  he  owned  showed  signs  of  being  ''  over- 
worked," until  after  he  adopted  the  two-meal  plan. 
He  says  he  "  blundered  into  the  practice"  from  hav- 
ing to  take  the  noon  meal  at  irregular  hours.  It  v/as 
sometimes  early,  sometimes  very  late,  when  he  and 
his  horse  dined  ;  and  finally  he  got  into  the  way  of 
eating  only  night  and  morning  himself.  Finding  his 
own  condition  improved,  he  thought  he  would  try 
the  experiment  with  his  horse.  After  a  few  weeks 
the  animal  began  to  improve  and  ''  gained  right  up, 
so  that,"  said  he,  "  a  friend  remarked  one  day,  '  Weil, 


EoLE,  winner  of  the  Coney  Island  Cup,  1833.     Reduced  from  the  Sportsman. 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET.  35 

you've  got  a  horse  now,  H.,  that  can  stand  your 
work.'"  "Yes,"  said  I,  "but  he  couldn't  until  I 
changed  his  feed."  "  How  is  that  ? "  "  Well,  he 
was  running  down  on  three  meals,  and  has  *  run  up ' 
on  two,  that  is  all." 

H.  B.  W.,  of  Lowell,  Mass.,  states  that  he  drove 
an  advertising  and  delivery  team  for  a  patent  med- 
icine concern  for  five  years,  using  the  same  pair 
of  horses  constantly.  The  first  year  he  fed  on  the 
prevailing  system,  but  soon  atter,  acting  upon  the 
suggestion  of  some  one  who  declared  it  would  benefit 
his  horses,  he  fed  only  morning  and  night.  He  said 
that  for  four  years  he  had  a  team  that  attracted  at- 
tention wherever  he  went — "  a  team  to  be  proud  of," 
he  said.  For  the  last  three  years  he  followed  the 
"  example  "  of  his  horses  and  ate  but  twice  himself, 
and  "  by  keeping  clear  of  the  fancy  stuff  that  hotel 
tables  are  generally  covered  with,  and  eating  the 
plainest  food  I  could  find,"  said  he,  "  I  cured  myself 
of  dyspepsia,  and  without  any  help  from  the  d — d 
stuff  I  was  carting  about  the  country!  "  He  further 
remarked  that  his  horses  always  "drove  freer"  in  the 
afternoon  than  in  the  forenoon. 

PREJUDICE. 

To  show  the  prejudice  of  old  horsemen  against  in- 
novations of  this  sort,  I  will  relate  an  instance  of  a 
gentleman  who  was  impressed  with  the  idea  and 
wished  to  try  the  two-meal  plan  on  his  horse.  He 
ordered  the  stable-keeper  to  leave  out  the  mare's 
noon  meal,  and  feed  night  and  morning  only,  hay  and 


36  HORSES  • 

four  quarts  of  oats  at  a  feed.  For  a  time  there  was 
no  change  in  her  appearance  ;  but  he  accidentally 
ascertained  that  she  was  having  her  grain  at  noon 
the  same  as  before.  Somewhat  angry  at  the  decep- 
tion practiced  by  the  man  who  "  wouldn't  have  a  horse 
starved"  in  his  stable,  he  changed  her  boarding  place, 
ordering  her  feed  as  before.  Some  discussion  ensued 
between  him  and  the  stable-keeper  about  the  advan- 
tages of  two  over  three  meals,  in  which  the  latter 
predicted  that  he  would  find  that  it  "  wouldn't  work 
with  some  '  bosses.' "  Sure  enough,  it  became  evi- 
dent in  a  few  weeks  that  his  horse  was  declining. 
He  ordered  an  increase  of  grain  at  the  two  feeds  ; 
still  she  grew  poor.  Another  increase  was  ordered, 
but  she  kept  going  down  hill.  Not  suspecting  any 
cheat,  her  owner  put  her  away  for  another  horse, 
directing  this  one  to  be  fed  in  like  manner.  She,  too, 
begun  to  decline,  and  in  spite  of  twelve  quarts  of 
grain  daily  {ordered)  and  "■  all  the  hay  she  would  eat 
up  clean  at  each  meal,"  she  grew  more  and  more 
seedy,  until,  at  last  suspecting  that  something  was 
the  trouble  he  hired  a  stable,  and,  himself,  attended 
to  the  feeding.  He  found  that  the  amount  of  grain 
she  had  been  having  (!)  purged  her,  in  the  new  stable, 
and  he  lessened  the  ration,  more  and  more,  until 
finally  she  began  to  improve  on  what  might  be  called 
a  meal  and  a  half,  viz. :  a  very  light  feed  of  hay  and 
two  quarts  of  oats  in  the  morning,  and  a  full  feed  of 
hay  with  four  quarts  of  whole  corn  and  oats  at  night. 
On  this  feed,  with  liberal  exercise,  she  acquired  a 
splendid  condition  in  a  few  months.     The  first  mare, 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET. 


37 


a  little  later,  came  into  the  hands  of  one  who  in  his 
own  stable  tried  the  two-meal  system  ;  and  she,  too, 
became  plump  and  round  on  less  feed  than  she  was 
supposed  to  have  at  the  boarding  stable.  It  was  not 
that  this  man  was  a  natural  born  oat-stealer,  but  it  is 
to  be  presumed  that,  being  lectured  on  feeding,  by 
an  amateur  horseman,  he  thought,  ''AH  right  ;  if  he 
wants  to  pay  me  for  starving  his  hosses  I'll  give  him 
his  money's  worth  !  " 

''COLDS"    FROM   INDIGESTION. 

Without  doubt  most  hard-working  animals  digest 
a  considerable  proportion  of  all  iJiree  of  their  meals 
at  night  after  getting  thoroughly  rested  from  the 
day's  work ;  the  balance  (quite  a  percentage,  too, 
with  highly-fed  animals)  does  not  simply  pass  along 
and  out  as  an  undigested  residue  always,  but  fer- 
ments (as  indicated  often  by  flatulency  or  some  de- 
gree of  purging,  etc. ;  or,  again,  constipation  may  be 
produced),  poisons  the  blood,  overtaxes  the  kidneys 
and  the  lungs,  until  finally — whatever  the  weather, 
and  with  or  without  unusual  exposure — the  disease 
breaks  out  in  what  is  popularly,  but  mistakenly, 
called  "  a  cold  "  (slight  influenza) ;  and,  if  the  condi- 
tions have  been  especially  aggravated — as,  for  exam- 
ple, if  the  stomach  has  been  very  much  overloaded 
frequently,  or  if  during  a  period  of  reasonably  warm 
weather  there  has  been  no  diminution  of  feed,  and 
if  feeding  is  kept  up  in  spite  of  the  "  attack  " — the 
result  may  be  a  full-fledged  influenza  or  the  dreaded 
pneumonia. 


38  HORSES: 

In  fact,  the  various  phases  of  this  disorder — I  may 
say,  indeed,  a  very  large  range  of  "  diseases  " — are 
the  product  of  (i)  errors  in  diet  as  to  {a)  time,  {b)  fre- 
quency, (c)  and  amount — causing'  indigestion,  and, 
consequently  and  unavoidably,  a  greater  or  less  de- 
gree of  actual  blood-poisoning.  (2)  Lack  of  fresh  air 
and  light  in  the  stable.  These  errors  corrected,  ab- 
solutely, and  in  a  thousand  cases  there  will  be  no 
"  colds  "  or  other  internal  disorders  year  in  and  year 
out. 

It  would  naturally  follow  that  tJiorough  ventilation 
(guarding  against  direct  draughts),  a  temporary  and 
absolute  y^^^  until  convalescence  is  thoroughly  estab- 
lished, follov/ed  by  an  abstemious  diet,  would  be  the 
natural  cure  for  influenza;  and  so  in  practice  I  have 
found  it  in  eveVy  instance  in  the  case  of  animals  of 
whatever  kind,  including  m.an.  This  treatment  is 
successful  where  all  others  are  unsatisfactory  and 
often  fatal,  and  in  every  instance  will  afford  an  im- 
mense saving  in  time  and  vitality;  saving  life  where 
cure  is  possible.  * 

The  facts  prove  that  influenza  or  any  form  of  so- 
called  "  cold  "  is  2,  fever,  pure  and  simple.  However 
chilly  the  patient  may  feel,  the  thermometer  placed 
under  the  tongue  or  in  the  rectum  shows  at  once 
that  the  temperature  is  above  the  normal  point ; 
and  in  all  cases  of  feverishness  there  is  disturbance 
of  the  alimentary  organs — whether  evident  or  not  to 
the  casual  observer,  and  rest  from  all  digestive  labor 
is  the  proper  "  tonic."  It  is  a  great  piece  of  folly  to 
encourage  eating  in   the   absence   of  appetite ;   it  is 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  39 

only  less  foolish  to  eat  even  with  an  appetite  when 
evidences  of  this  disorder  have  appeared.  Taken  at 
the  outset,  a  single  day  of  fasting,  with  regular  work 
or  exercise,  will  usually  nip  the  disease  in  the  bud  ; 
though  sometimes,  and  whenever  there  has  been  a 
delay  in  treatment,  a  somewhat  larger  "  dose "  of 
this  remedy  will  be  required.  When  the  disease  has 
been  permitted  to  run  until  the  blood-poison  has  af- 
fected the  entire  organism  to  the  point  of  zvcaknesSy 
the  voluntary  muscular  system  should  not  be  taxed 
unduly,  but  some  degree  of  exercise  (hand-rubbing, 
if  the  creature  is  too  weak  to  move  about),  and  in 
the  open  air,  is  desirable.  Fresh  air,  light,  and 
plenty  of  pure  water  are  always  in  order. 


Whenever  there  is  a  distemper  ''scare/'  when  the 
disease  has  made  its  appearance  in  town,  the  first 
thing  (and,  if  this  is  attended  to,  the  only  thing  nec- 
essary) to  be  done  is  to  stop  the  feed  entirely;  not  a 
lock  of  hay,  no  hot  mashes,  nor  a  spoonful  of  any- 
thing, except  pure  water,  should  be  offered  to  any 
horse  whose  lack  of  condition  is  even  suspected. 
Whatever  may  be  his  notion  as  regards  the  condition 
of  his  animals,  or  his  theory  as  to  the  origin  of  the 
disorder,  the  owner  of  any  number  of  horses  may  rest 
as'iured  that  only  the  ones  that  are  predisposed  by 
reason  of  a  clogged — that  is,  an  already  diseased — 
condition  will  be  "  attacked." 


40  HORSES: 

LIKE   CAUSES   PRODUCE   LIKE   EFFECTS, 

and  since,  as  I  affirm,  the  "distemper" — influenza, 
epizootic,  pink-eye,  or  whatever  name  may  be  pre- 
ferred, for  it  is  only  a  question  of  the  different  stages 
of  the  same  filth-disease — will  only  attack  ill-condi- 
tioned horses  ;  if  they  are  kept  in  condition  there  is 
no  occasion  for  alarm  as  to  "  contagion."  Every 
horse  that  is  in  really  "A-i  "  condition  is  positively 
as  free  from  danger  as  though  he  lived  in  a  world 
where  disease  and  death  were  unknown  !  Such 
horses,  being  sound  and  clean,  require  no  change  of 
regimen.  But  if  their  regimen  be  changed  by  a  reduc- 
tion of  outdoor  work,  there  must  be  a  corresponding 
reduction  of  food,  or  they  can  not  remain  disease  proof 
Some  horses  and  some  men,  though  not  in  health, 
are  still  proof  against  acute  disorders  of  this  type ; 
the  reason  being  that  certain  chronic  "diseases,"  as 
well  as  chronic  health,  are  unattended  by  the  "  clog- 
ging-up  "  process,  which,  if  reaching  a  certain  stage, 
necessitates  the  restorative  process  popularly  known 
under  the  above  names.  All  disease-producing 
causes  should  cease  at  once,  especially  while  the 
"scare"  is  on,  and  measures  at  once  taken  to  change 
the  condition  of  all  doubtful  animals ;  viz.,  the  fat 
ones,  and  all  such  as  have  been  "well  fed"  and  not 
well  worked.  In  fact,  no  horse  is  well  fed  if  given  a 
generous  diet  without  generous  exercise.  The  first 
thing,  as  before  remarked,  is  a  fast,  the  extent  of 
which  must  be  determined  by  the  attendant  or  the 
director  ;  but  it  should  depend  upon  the  degree  of  the 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  41 

supposed  indisposition.  The  remedy  is  a  safe  one,  to 
whatever  extent  it  may  be  used.  The  effects  of  a 
few  days'  fast  would  be  some  degree  of  languor  and 
indisposition  for  work  or  exercise,  and  the  greater 
the  need  of  abstinence,  the  more  marked  would  be 
these  symptoms.  The  fasting  horse  would  act  ''  lazy," 
or  as  if  already  in  the  first  stage  of  the  disorder, 
which,  in  fact,  may  be  the  case.  He  will  not,  how- 
ever, be  likely  to  go  beyond  this  stage  under  this 
regimen.  Should  unmistakable  symptoms  of  the 
overflow  become  apparent,  however,  the  fast  should 
continue  until  these  abate  very  noticeably.  Then 
the  diet  should  be  "  dry,"  (that  is,  no  gruels,  mashes, 
or  slops),  and  very  abstemious  as  to  quantity.  Free 
(cool,  not  cold)  water-drinking  should  be  allowed  at 
all  times,  except  directly  before  meals  or  for  two 
hours  after.  If  the  animal  is  thirsty  at  these  pro- 
scribed times  a  little  cool  water  may  be  allowed — 
little  and  often — until  finally  thirst  is  appeased.  But 
there  will  be  no  unusual  degree  of  thirst  if  the  food 
given  is  not  too  abundant  for  the  present  capacity  of 
the  digestive  organs,  which  is  very  much  reduced. 
Appease  the  present  thirst,  but  prevent  it  to-morrow 
by  a  still  further  reduction  of  the  feed. 

In  some  cases  an  attack  otherwise  sure  to  come 
\vould  be  averted  if  the  animal  was  put  on  half-ra- 
tions, if  this  was  done  before  any  lack  of  appetite  ivas 
discerned^  and  if  he  were  given  plenfy  of  open-air  ex- 
ercise, and  the  stable  (as  it  should  be  always)  so  ven- 
tilated as  to  be  ever  free  from  a  close  or  stuffy  condi- 
tion.    Fresh  air  is  Nature  s  febrifuge^  and  the  hotter 


42  HORSES: 

and  closer  the  stable,  and  the  more  profuse  the 
blanketing,  the  worse  it  must  be  for  our  fever  pa- 
tient. Cold  2Sx  is  not  necessarily /r<fj-/^/  it  certainly  is 
not  unless  it  has  free  communication  with  the  main 
body  of  air  without ;  nor  do  a  few  cracks  and  crevices 
afford  sufficient  ventilation  for  any  number  of  horses. 

HAND-RUBBING  VS.  DRUGS. 

Trainers  understand  the  importance  of  hand-rub- 
bing in  fitting  horses  for  the  track;  but  its  value  as 
a  curative  measure  in  fever,  or  in  cases  such  as  I 
have  just  cited,  is  not  generally  recognized.  As  in 
training  for  the  track,  the  rubbing  presses  out  the 
fatty  globules  and  leaves  the  flesh  clean  and  free — 
making  a  firm,  pliant,  springy  muscle ;  so  in  the  con- 
dition of  disease  referred  to,  the  filthy  humors  which 
constitute  the  disease  and  have  rendered  the  fever 
necessary  are  pressed  into  the  circulation,  from 
which  they  are  secreted  by  the  appropriate  glands, 
and  find  an  outlet  through  the  various  excretories. 
In  cases  where  nitre,  digitalis,  etc.,  have  been  given 
"for  the  kidneys,"  many  noble  animals  have  been 
sacrificed  who  would  have  been  saved  by  causing 
them  to  swallow  hot  water  freely,  withholding  all 
food,  manipulating  their  limbs  and  muscles  as  before 
remarked,  and  keeping  the  poison-drugs  out  of  thern 
entirely.  The  diuretic  may  "  start  the  water,"  and 
this  manner  of  starting  it  may  not  prove  fatal ;  but 
it  is  too  often  followed  by  a  complete  relapse — the 
animal  dying  from  blood-poison  shortly  after.  The 
same  may  be  said  with   regard  to  purgative  medi- 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET.  43 

cines.  Injections  of  hot  water  and  free  kneading  of 
the  bowels,  or  percussion,  are  always  safer  and  more 
effectual. 

CONCERNING  THE  USE  OF  THE  BLANKET. 

Blanketing  in  stables  is  often  favored  solely  on  ac- 
count of  the  better  appearance  of  the  coat ;  the  hair 
does  not  grow  so  long,  and  it  keeps  smooth  and 
glossy  with  less  grooming.  In  the  absence  of  the 
blanket  the  hair  grows  long  and  affords  complete 
protection  from  cold,  and  is  as  much  better  as  it  is 
more  natural.  Other  things  equal,  the  horse  that  re- 
ceives the  most  coddling  in  the  way  of  blankets, 
warm  stables  (especially  if  warmth  be  secured  by 
non-ventilation),  guarding  from  wet,  cold,  etc.,  will 
be  the  least  fitted  for  real  service  and  the  most  sub- 
ject to  disease.  If  blanketed  and  kept  in  a  close 
stable  the  horse  will  shiver  in  the  cold  in  spite  of 
blankets  and  extra  robes ;  v/hile  unblanketed  and  ac- 
customed to  an  airy,  i.e.,  a  well-ventilated  stable — 
for  size  alone  does  not  insure  pure  air — he  will  stand, 
even  in  the  most  exposed  situations  on  a  severe  win- 
ter's day,  without  any  trembling.  There  are  times, 
of -course,  when  standing  for  any  great  length  of  time 
in  a  bleak  location,  especially  after  sweating  freely, 
that  some  extra  protection  for  the  toughest  horse 
even  is  useful ;  but  the  practice  of  immediately  en- 
veloping a  sweaty  horse  with  blanket  or  robe,  and 
especially  when  the  halt  is  to  be  a  brief  one,  is  any- 
thing but  sound.  A  few  minutes'  exposure  after  hot 
work  is  an  intense  relief,  even  on  the  coldest  day,  and 


44  HORSES: 

the  added  covering  occasions  positive  discomfort  to 
the  heated  animal,  and  is  of  no  advantage  whatever. 
After  a  few  minutes  have  been  allowed  for  the  relief 
mentioned,  and  if  used  to  blanketing  if  he  has  to 
stand  long  in  the  cold,  the  blanket  may  be  adjusted. 
But  there  is  much  unconscious  cruelty  practiced  in 
the  inappropriate  use  of  the  blanket  at  all  seasons  of 
the  year.^  My  own  practice  has  been  to  dispense  with 
blanketing  entirely,  in  stable  and  out ;  rarely  throwing 
any  cover  over  my  horses,  whether  they  are  sweaty 
or  not,  and  regardless  of  the  season  or  the  weather ; 
never,  in  short,  except  in  cases  where  one  may  be  not 
only  very  hot,  but  also  extremely  tired — in  such  a  case 
some  extraordinary  care  is  necessary.  By  pursuing 
this  course  I  have  never  had  a  horse  "  catch  cold," 
nor  made  sick  from  any  cause,  when  under  my  care 
or  cared  for  under  my  direction.  Nor  is  this  experi- 
ence peculiar  to  my  own  horses,  but  tallies  with  that 
of  many  persons  who  are  simply  careless  as  to  the 
treatment  their  horses  receive,  as  well  as  others  who 
have  adopted  the  rule  after  mature  consideration  as 
a  preventive  of  sickness.  The  fact  is  that  few  per- 
sons appreciate  how  perfectly  the  hairy  coat  of  the 
horse  is  adapted  to  his  varying  needs,  and  how  effect- 
ually it  protects  him  from  wet,  cold,  heat,  or  sudden 
changes.  There  is  no  analogy  between  his  wet  coat 
of  hair  and  a  wet  blanket  (or  wet  garments  about 
ourselves),  and  the  fear"  of  it,  as  a  general  rule,  is  a 
blind  sort  of  instinct  on  our  part. 

*  One  of  the  worst  and  most  constantly  practiced  abuses  in  this  connection 
is  that  of  throwing  the  folded  blanket  over  the  rump  and  loins  at  eveiy  stop 
or  stand-still,  the  parts  which  require  the  least  artificial  protection  and  which 
(loins)  are  most  easily  injured  by  heating.  Exposed  to  a  cold  rain  or  snow- 
storm the  horse  instinctively  turns  these  parts  to  the  "  weather"  ! 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET. 


CLIPPING 


45 


is,  therefore,  an  abuse  which  should  not  be  perpe- 
trated. It  is  unnatural,  and  no  amount  of  care  can 
fully  atone  for  the  loss  of  his  natural  coat.  The  fact 
is  that  both  horse  and  owner  are  by  nature  designed 
for  service  and  to  become  inured  to  exposure,  and  not 
for  "  molly-coddlers ";  and,  under  2ise,  both  become 
proof  against  harm  from  what  is  often  considered 
rough  treatment,  but  which  in  fact  increases  their 
vigor  and  effectually  guards  them  from  disease.  But 
to  rob  a  horse  of  his  hair  is  to  put  upon  him  an  un- 
natural kind  of  exposure,  with  no  compensating  ad- 
vantage.   " 

The  digestive  system,  along  with  the  entire  organ- 
ism, is  exalted  in  proportion  to  the  degree  of  active 
exercise  in  the  open  air ;  in  fact,  work,  cold  zveatker, 
and  pure  air  increase  the  digestive  powers  and  all 
the  forces  of  the  organism.  There  is  a  limit,  of 
course,  as  with  all  rules,  to  the  application  of  this 
principle ;  but  the  principle  holds  good  under  all  cir- 
cumstances. Blanketing  a  horse  lessens  his  digestive 
capacity,  and  anything  which  tends  in  that  direction 
reduces  all  the  vital  powers ;  the  fact  being  that  the 
more  he  can  digest,  the  more  he  can  endure,  Avhether 
of  work  or  exposure.  This  is  simply  because  the 
more  his  vital  powers  are  taxed,  p^roviding  always 
they  be  not  ^z'rrtaxed,  the  more  he  can  digest; 
since,  as  remarked  elsewhere,  the  digestive  fluids  are 
secreted  from  the  blood  in  proportion  to  the  body's 
needs   for  nutriment,  and   not   in   proportion   to  the 


46  HORSES: 

amount  of  food  swallowed.  Extra  work  and  expos- 
ure to  cold,  by  a  corresponding  consumption  of  the 
tissues,  cause  demand  for  an  increased  amount  of 
food  to  make  good  the  waste,  and  the  digestive  flu- 
ids are  increased  in  like  measure.  Blanketing  a 
horse  does  not  diminish  the  size  of  his  stomach,  and 
hence  he  will,  at  least  for  a  time  if  permitted,  eat  as 
much  as  if  unblanketed,  and  would  continue  to  eat 
more  than  he  needed,  and  would  stuff  himself  when- 
ever opportunity  offered.  So,  too,  he  will  for  a  time 
(and  ahvays  until  ajfected  injuriously  by  the  means) 
eat  as  much  when  at  leisure  as  when  working.  But 
eating  and  digesting  are  far  from  synonymous  terms. 
He  can  not  digest  more  than  he  needs,  and  any  ex- 
cess above  such  needs  is  not  only^^  much  for  indiges- 
tion, but  tends  strongly  to  the  imperfect  digestion 
of  all  the  food,  swallowed  and  to  a  condition  of  gen- 
eral disorder. 

KIND  Treatment. 

In  addition  to  the  causes  already  mentioned  which 
impair  digestion,  and  therefore  predispose  to  disease, 
unkind  treatment  is  often  a  serious  one.  All  horses 
are  more  or  less  sensitive,  while  some  are  as  "  sensi- 
tive as  a  woman "  to  the  treatment  they  receive. 
An  outburst  of  anger,  accompanied  by  twitching  or 
yelling,  directly  before,  during,  or  soon  after  a  meal, 
would  absolutely  prohibit  or  delay  digestion  in  case 
of  a  fine-grained  animal,  and  perhaps  occasion  serious 
mischief.  Severe  indigestion  often  results  from  this 
cause  in  the  case  of  human  beings — victims  to  theii 


JCKEYE  Bayard,  by  Bayard.     First  Dam,  Jenny  B,  by  the  Koontz  horse,  grandson  of  Rhode 
Island.     Record,  2:23^.     Owned  by  Geo.  H.  Allen,  Bellefontaine,  Ohio. 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET,  47 

own  or  their  companions'  temper.  The  horse  appre- 
ciates kind  treatment,  and  it  pays  to  give  him  the 
kindest. 

OVERDRIVING — OVERWORK. 

Overdriving  is  a  relative  term.  The  horse  that 
never  travels  more  than  one  mile  at  the  top  of  his 
speed,  is  overdriven  if  pushed  three  miles  at  a  high 
rate  ;  while  another,  or  the  same,  gradually  worked 
up  to  it,  may  m.ake  five.  The  ordinary  driving-horse 
that  makes  only  his  five  to  ten  miles  a  day,  and  that 
at  a  leisurely  pace,  is  overdriven  if  sent  twenty-five 
miles  at  a  stretch  and  at,  say,  the  rate  of  eight  miles 
an  hour ;  while  another,  or  the  same,  perhaps,  after 
proper  preparation,  may  miake  that  distance  in  two 
and  a  half  hours,  and,  with  an  hour's  rest,  return  at  the 
same  rate,  without  being  overdriven.  Again,  a  horse 
that  is  driven  every  day,  from  twenty  to  forty  miles, 
and  kept  in  condition,  will  go  seventy-five  miles  in 
any  one  day,  at  a  rate  depending  upon  the  quality  of 
the  animal,  and  without  straining,  and  may  even 
make  the  return  journey  on  the  following  day  with- 
out harm  if  he  is  a  powerful  fellow  by  nature  ;  but, 
following  any  extraordinary  effort  there  should  always 
be  a  day  of  absolute  or  comparative  rest — sufificient 
rest,  at  all  events — though  a  little  "  walk-round  "  may 
usually  be  an  advantage,  unless  the  animal  chances 
to  be  disabled.  In  this  case  a  little^  extra  hand-rub- 
bing will  be  beneficial,  and  care  must  be  taken  not 
to  overfeed ;  for  if  there  has  been  a  real  depletion  of 
the  vital  forces  by  reason  of  too  hard  usage,  it  must 


48  HORSES: 

be  borne  in  mind  that  the  digestive  system  is  a  sharer 
in  the  hurt,  and  that  rest  alone,  with  the  treatment — 
the  '*  passive  exercise  "  (hand-rubbing) — suggested, 
or  perhaps  a  very  limited  diet  for  one  day,  will  be 
the  best  means  for  restoration.  In  nine  cases  in  ten, 
when  a  horse  is  taken  sick  soon  after  extraordinary 
work,  it  is  the  result  of  feeding  him  too  soon  or  too 
much — before  he  had  become  sufficiently  rested. 
Whenever  a  horse  has  been  pushed  to  extremes, 
driven  to  or  nearly  to  exhaustion,  the  time  allowed 
for  recuperation  before  feeding,  should  be  correspond- 
ingly lengthened.  For  instance,  while  he  may  eat 
his  dinner  immediately  following  a  leisurely  drive,  he 
being  free  from  heat  or  weariness  ;  under  the  pressure 
of  a  day's  journey  which  has  well-nigh  exhausted  him, 
it  would  be  an  act  of  mercy  to  withhold  all  food  for 
twelve  hours.  In  fact,  to  feed  sooner  than  this  con- 
stitutes, in  some  instances,  "  cruelty  to  animals,"  and 
is  attended  with  great  risk.  In  all  cases  of  exhaus- 
tion from  overwork,  the  best  stimulant,  the  best 
*'  tonic,"  the  best  nutriment,  is — rest.  Even  an  over- 
dose of  this  remedy  is  safer  than  an  underdose,  which 
can  be  said  of  no  other  "  medicine." 

CHEST   FOUNDER 

often  results  from  a  neglect  of  the  above-named  pre- 
caution ;  and  constant  overfeeding  is  a  very  prolific 
source  of  this  disease.  The  stomach  is  invariably  the 
seat  of  the  disorder.  That  is,  it  originates  there,  and 
can  never  be  eradicated  while  this  organ  continues 
diseased.     The  lungs  are  often  affected  both  "  sym- 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  40 

pathetically'*  and  by  continuity  of  tissue.  The 
muscles  of  the  chest  and  shoulders,  as  well  as  the 
entire  bony  structure — from  the  diaphragm  to  the 
shoulder-blades  and  ribs — are  made  sore  and  lame  by 
means  of  the  congested  stomach,  whether  this  organ 
be  acutely  affected  from  some  special  cause,  or  chron- 
ically diseased  from  habitual  excess  in  diet.  The 
more  frequently  the  horse  is  fed  the  more  danger 
there  is  of  this  chronic  disease  of  the  stomach.  Long 
intervals  between  meals  afford  time  for  the  subsidence 
of  the  congested  condition  which  is  the  normal  result 
of  the  digestive  process.  If  this  process  is  too  often 
repeated  there  is  always  a  liability  to  cause  it  to  be- 
come chronic  ;  or,  in  other  words,  the  normal  digest- 
ive congestion  is  transformed  into  a  disease.  No 
doubt  many  of  my  readers  have  themselves  experi- 
enced the  very  same  kind  of  lameness,  following  a  ball 
or  party,  and  have  attributed  it  to  having  "  caught 
cold."  A  draught  from  some  window  was  supposed 
to  be  the  cause  of  the  mischief,  instead  of  the  fourth 
meal,  eaten,  perhaps,  when  the  person  was  hot  and 
tired  from  dancing,  and  when  he  or  she  had  already 
eaten  one  meal  too  much.  Upon  all  such  occasions, 
except  for  the  mere  sensual  gratification  derived  from 
tickling  the  palate,  there  is  no  more  need  of  another 
supper  than  of  a  fourth  suit  of  clothes  to  dance  in  at 
a  Fourth-of-July  ball,  when  a  single  suit  of  mosquito- 
netting  would,  so  far  as  comfort  is  concerned,  be  su- 
perfluous. The  stomach  lies  close  under  and  in  con- 
tact with  the  diaphragm, — the  great  concavo-convex 
muscle  which  alone  separates  the  stomach  from  the 
J 


50 


HORSES: 


lungs, — and  which,  so  far  from  constituting  an  impas. 
sable  barrier,  may  itself  take  on  a  congested  state  and 
pass  it  on  to  the  lungs.  From  this  might  arise  acute 
congestion*  with  imminent  danger  to  life,  more  espe- 
cially if  from  causes  already  mentioned  the  blood  has 
been  constantly  or  often  affected  by  the  impurities 
arising  from  indigestion,  so  that  the  tissues  of  the 
muscles  are  not  perfectly  constituted  ;  or  the  disorder 
might  become  chronic  in  the  form  of  bronchitis,  or 
*'  heaves,"  which  corresponds  to  the  asthma  of  the 
human  dyspeptic.  The  liver,  which  is  in  immediate 
contact  with  the  stomach,  often  becomes  congested, 
sometimes  deeply,  even  fatally,  diseased  in  the  same 
manner.  And  so,  by  continuity  of  tissue^  as  already 
stated,  the  entire  frame  forward — the  chest — may 
readily  become  "  foundered."  I  am  satisfied  we  have 
here  the  cause  of  the  disorder  under  consideration. 

Generally  speaking,  a  chronic  disease  is  the  result 
of  some  chronic  provocation.  The  real  seat  of  the 
disorder  being  unrecognized,  the  horse  is  likely  to  be 
fed  as  often,  and  as  "  generously,"  as  before  the  dis- 
order became  so  severe  as  to  give  rise  to  the  "■  well- 
known  symptoms."  Long  before  this,  however,  the 
creature  would,  had  he  the  gift  of  speech,  have  com- 
plained of  dull  pains  and  disagreeable  sensations. 
To  be  sure,  he  might  not,  even  then,  exhibit  greater 
wisdom  than  is  shown  by  many  of  his  human  proto- 
types, who  feel  these  same  sensations  without  ever 


*  In  this  case  total  abstinence  from  food  for  a  day  or  more,  i( 
necessary,  is  indicated. 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  51 

realizing  the  cause.  Thousands  upon  thousands  of 
human  beings  are  thus  affected  and  still  take  tfieir 
three  meals  a  day,  work  or  play,  grow  worse,  swallow 
medicines  (prescribed  by  physicians  as  ignorant  ar 
themselves — perhaps  suffering  from  the  same  com- 
plaint) and  go  on  to  their  deaths  without  ever  know- 
ing what  killed  them.  The  natural  cure  for  this  dis- 
ease, if  my  position  is  correct,  lies  along  the  line  of 
abstemiousness  in  diet.  When  the  stomach  is  dis- 
eased, it  demands  a  treatment  similar  to  that  which 
we  prescribe  for  a  sick  7nan  or  horse,  viz.  :  light  work 
and  long  intervals  of  rest.  In  chest  founder,  a  much 
restricted  diet,  not  more  than  two  meals  a  day,  with 
exercise  restricted,  but  gradually,  very  gradually,  in- 
creased (with  diet  also  increased,  but  always  leaning 
to  the  minimum) — this  constitutes  the  general  line 
of  treatment.  Although  this  is  regarded  as  an 
incurable  disease,  still,  I  am  satisfied  that,  intelli- 
gently wrought  out,  this  system  would  restore  a 
very  large  proportion  of  horses  afflicted  with  chest 
founder.  Time,  often  a  very  long  time — a  full  year, 
perhaps,  of  the  wisest  management — would  be  neces- 
sary ;  but  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  a  disease  pro- 
duced (as  this  often  is)  hy  years  of  abuse  can  be  erad- 
icated in  a  few  weeks,  though  sometimes  it  may  be, 
as  in  the  case  of  an  especially  strongly  constituted 
animal  and  under  especially  judicious  treatment. 

SOME   HINTS   RELATING  TO   FOOD   AND   DRINK. 

The  full  capacity  of  a  horse's  stomach  is  about  fif- 
teen or  sixteen  quarts,  but  if  fully  distended  it  would 


52  HORSES: 

be  too  full  for  the  performance  of  its  functions 
Hence,  when  digestion  is  in  progress,  the  stomach 
is  usually  no  more  than  two-thirds  full ;  the  contents 
gradually  passing  onward  into  the  intestines  as  more 
food  enters  the  stomach.  In  eating  a  full  feed  of 
hay  the  stomach  receives  what  would  constitute  two 
or  three  times  its  fill,  so  that  the  part  first  eaten  does 
not  remain  very  long — perhaps  twenty  to  thirty  min- 
utes subjected  to  stomach  digestion — after  which  it 
passes  along  little  by -little,  as  it  becomes  fitted  for 
intestinal  digestion,  and  finally,  when  fitted  therefor, 
it  is  gradually  absorbed  into  the  circulation,  becom- 
ing blood.  The  albunninous  portions  of  the  food  are 
mainly  digested  in  the  stomach,  and  grain  contains 
four  to  six  times  as  much  of  the  albuminoids  as  a 
like  bulk  of  hay  in  the  stomach,  i.e.,  hay  that  has 
been  thoroughly  masticated  and  swallowed  contains 
one-sixth  to  one-fourth  as  much  of  the  albuminoids 
as  the  grain,  bulk  for  bulk.  Consequently  grain  re- 
quires a  longer  time  in  the  stomach  for  sufficient  gas- 
tric juice  to  be  secreted  and  to  exert  its  full  dissolv- 
ing effects.  If,  then,  the  grain  be  first  eaten  and 
soon  thereafter  the  hay,  we  may  be  certain  that  the 
grain  will  be  forced  from  the  stomach  before  it  is 
perfectly  digested  ;  but  if  we  feed  the  hay  first,  it  is 
not  difficult  to  understand  that  the  grain  will  remain 
in  the  stomach  a  sufificient  time. 

A  correspondent  in  the  Dublin  Farmer  says  with 
relation  to  mixing  food  for  horses,  "  We  should  not 
put  a  great  amount  of  coarse  food  with  the  grain,  or 
we  will  givQ  them  more  than  the  stomach  will  hold, 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET.  53 

and  the  last  portions  eaten  will  force  the  first  ones 
into  the  intestines  before  they  are  thoroughly  im- 
pregnated with  gastric  juice.  Thus,  two  pounds  of 
hay  and  four  pounds  of  oats  are  about  as  much  as 
should  be  fed  at  once  when  mixed,  and  if  more  oats 
are  given  the  hay  should  be  decreased  ;  for  instance, 
five  pounds  of  oats  and  one  and  a  half  pounds  of 
hay."  From  the  foregoing  remarks  we  may  obtain  a 
better  understanding  of  the  effect  of  water  on  diges- 
tion. If  after  a  full  meal  of  hay  followed  by  oats  we 
allow  the  horse  to  drink  profusely,  a  portion  of  the 
oats  will  be  carried  away  into  the  intestines  prema- 
turely, with  a  corresponding  loss  of  benefit  from  the 
grain,  besides  the  important  consideration  that  such 
portions  of  the  grain  do  harm  by  exciting  more 
or  less  irritation  by  reason  of  their  indigestion.  In 
default  of  digestion  there  will  be  more  or  less  fer- 
mentation, as  indicated  by  flatulency  of  the  bowels, 
and  the  absorption  of  fermented  food  into  the  circu- 
lation is  promotive  of  disease.  The  effect  of  such  a 
drink  after  hay  alone  is  less  serious,  because  hay  re- 
quires less  time  in  the  stomach.  Still,  it  is  believed 
that  the  free  drinking  should  be  between  meals, 
rather  than  immediately  before  or  soon  after.  A 
quart  or  two  of  water  following  the  meal  will  pass 
the  food  in  the  stomach  or  be  absorbed  by  that  or- 
gan without  interfering  materially  with  the  food.  If 
after  a  meal  the  stomach  receives  its  fill  and  more  of 
cold  water,  it  is  chilled  somewhat,  and  the  secretion 
of  gastric  juice  is  suspended  until  the  water  ha? 
passed  off  or  is  warmed  to  the  normal  temperature 


54  HORSES: 

of  the  body,  besides  the  undue  dilution  of  this  fluid 
with  water  renders  it  inert  and  insures  indigestion. 
"  When  the  stomach  has  got  rid  of  a  considerable 
part  of  its  contents,  it  seems  a  difficult  matter  for  it 
to  force  out  the  remainder,"  says  this  same  Irish  au- 
thority, "and  fermentation  and  colic  sometimes  re- 
sult. [I  can  not  believe  that  this  would  be  the  case 
except  from  excess,  unless  it  might  be  that  the  ani- 
mal had  not  drunk  enough  prior  to  the  meal  to  fur- 
nish the  blood  with  sufficient  liquids.  In  this  case 
there  might  remain  a  residue  of  food  in  the  stomach, 
but  such  residue  would  have  been  better  in  the  bin 
after  all.]  A  drink  of  water  at  such  a  time,"  he  con- 
tinues, "  by  carrying  out  the  substance,  which  has  re- 
mained long  enough,  relieves  the  condition.  This 
probably  explains  why  some  tram-car  [horse-car] 
companies  have  found  it  advisable  to  water  their 
horses  at  midnight." 

SORE   BACK. 

A  vast  amount  of  needless  suffering  is  caused  to 
our  patient  and  willing  servants  from  this  disease. 
Many  a  horse,  with  high  feed  and  little  work,  con- 
stantly suffers,  in  spite  of  physics,  with  raw  sores,  ne- 
cessitating constant  changes  of  the  position  of  the 
saddle — to  make  a  new  sore  while  the  old  one  heals. 
This  is  not  only  painful  to  the  horse,  but  also  to  the 
tender-hearted  owner,  who  so  pities  the  noble  creat- 
ure that  he  *' favors"  him  all  he  can — by  refusing  to 
have  him  harnessed  for  any  one  except  when  abso- 
lutely necessary — himself  going   on   foot  to   *'  save  " 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET  55 

his  horse;  thus  doing  precisely  the  wrong  thing. 
The  sores  may  thus  be  cured,  but  not  the  disease. 
How  almost  surely  a  cure  results  when  the  animal  is 
by  some  fortunate  circumstance  put  to  steady  serv- 
ice. Such  animals  are  unsound  throughout ;  their 
tissues  are  formed  from  impure  blood,  the  product 
of  indigestion.  They  eat,  but  not  "  in  the  sweat  of 
their  brows" — and  it  takes  a  good  deal  of  sweat  (or 
rather  work,  for  the  more  one  works,  the  less  easily 
he  sweats)  to  prevent  disease  if  "  a  good  deal  of 
food "  is  eaten.  It  is  quite  possible  for  a  horse  to 
become  sore-backed  from  overwork — either  relative 
or  positive  overwork ;  that  is,  where  the  work  is  ex- 
tremely hard  or  the  diet  absolutely  deficient.  In 
the  first  instance  the  creature,  working  beyond  his 
strength,  so  exhausts  his  reserve  force,  that  he  has 
not  sufficient  vitality  to  digest  his  food ;  hence  he 
suffers  from  indigestion  and  impure  blood,  the  same 
as  the  horse  of  leisure  who  eats  to  excess.  A  starva- 
tion diet  accomplishes  the  same  thing,  finally,  only 
in  a  different  way ;  the  system  being  under-nour- 
ished from  lack  of  food  instead  of  any  fault  with  the 
digestive  organs.  It  might  be  said  that  in  such  cases 
the  digestive  organs  become  weak  and  disordered  as 
well  as  the  general  muscular  system  ;  but  the 

TANNER  EXPERIMENT  PROVED 

that  after  an  extended  fast  there  was  practically  no 
limit  to  the  capacity  of  the  digestive  organs  until 
reparation  had  been  made  for  the  forty  days*  canni- 
balism.    He  ate  every  two  or  three  hours ;  gaininsf 


56  HORSES: 

in  less  than  three  weeks  all  the  weight  he  had  lost  in 
his  forty  days'  fast.  His  added  weight,  however,  put 
on  so  rapidly,  was  not  the  sort  of  stuff  to  give  him 
staying  power  for  hard  muscular  exertion.  His  de- 
cline in  weight  being  attended  by  complete  rest  of 
the  digestive  apparatus,  these  organs  could  make  up 
for  lost  time ;  but,  had  he  declined  by  reason  of  dys- 
pepsia, as  is  the  fact  with  a  great  proportion  of  horses 
and  men  who  decline,  thejt,  in  that  case,  his  meals 
should  have  been  light,  few,  and  far  between,  or  his 
work  brought  up  to  balance  the  account,  to  insure  a 
return  to  health  and  normal  weight. 

When  sores  come  readily  and  heal  with  difficulty, 
or  do  not  "  stay  healed,"  the  creature,  whether  man  or 
beast,  is  "  scrofulous."     Indigestion  and  foul  air  are 

THE   CAUSES   OF   SCROFULA; 

the  blood  (and  consequently  the  tissues)  being  formed 
second  by  second,  or  indeed  constantly,  from  impure 
material. 

Pure  air  is  as  essential  as  food — more  so,  in  fact, 
if  we  are  to  distinguish  between  the  two,  since  either 
horses  or  men  can  live  for  weeks  without  food  or 
days  without  drink,  but  if  deprived  of  air  for  as 
many  miftutes  death  is  certain.  If  the  air  breathed 
habitually  is  very  impure,  a  scrofulous  condition  is 
the  inevitable  result.  An  excess  of  food  or  a  defi 
ciency  of  air  will  produce  this  disease  ;  and,  since  one 
or  both  of  these  causes  are  operative  in  some  degree 
in  most,  if  not  all — fearfully  so  in  many — stables,  we  _ 
have  not  to  search  for  *'  malaria,"  "  disease  waves,'^ 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET.  57 

contagion,  nor  any  "  monkery  "  of  that  sort,  to  account 
for  the  epidemics  which  sweep  over  the  land.  When 
quite  a  percentage  of  all  the  horses  in  the  country  are 
predisposed  in  this  way,  as  they  surely  are,  it  rteed 
cause  no  surprise  when,  under  stress  oi  som^  favo ring- 
condition  in  the  atmosphere.  Nature  undertakes  the 
restoration  of  the  diseased  ones,  or  all  of  the  worst 
cases,  and  sets  the  mucous  membranes  of  their  noses 
to  eliminating  the  accumulated  scrofulous  humors — 
or,  in  plain  terms,  filth. 

"  Rightly  understood,  the  external  symptoms  of  a 
disease  constitute  a  restorative  process  that  can  not 
be  brought  to  a  satisfactory  issue  till  the  cause  of  the 
evil  is  removed."  Skin  diseases,  ulcers,  catarrhal  dis- 
orders, including 

"  GLANDERS," 

in  short,  all  blood  disorders,  are  amply  accounted  for 
in  the  manner  described.  To  know  the  cause  of  an 
evil  is  to  enable  us  to  prevent  it,  and  is  an  immense 
aid  in  our  efforts  to  restore  health  when  the  cause 
has  been  for  any  reason  permitted  to  produce  sick- 
ness. But  we  shall  always  fail  in  our  search  if  we 
look  for  anything  in  the  wrong  direction ;  and,  in 
attempting  to  aid  Nature  (for  that  is  the  physician's 
sole  business)  in  her  efforts  to  cure,  we  are  certain  to 
hinder  her  unless  we  know  how  the  organism  is  af- 
fected, and  just  what  she  is  trying  to  accomplish. 

In  cases  of  disease,  when  from  any  cause  the  ali- 
mentary apparatus  is  so  impaired  that  food  is  trans- 
formed into  "  humors  "  largely,  instead  of  into  pure 

3* 


58  HORSES: 

blood,  about  the  most  foolish  thing  I  can  conceive  is 
to  keep  on  feeding  and  administer  "  condition  pow 
ders,"  purgative  medicines,  or  apply  a  seton  to  run  off 
the  products ;  and  this  is  continually  being  done  all 
over  the  country.  A  few  days'  fast  and  a  sufficiently 
restricted  diet  will  enable  the  system  to  cleanse  it- 
self— to  ''clean  house,"  so  to  say — by  letting- the 
overtaxed  excretories  have  everything  their  own 
way,  while  the  digestive  organs  obtain,  meantime, 
the  rest  they  so  much  need. 

IN   KIDNEY   COMPLAINTS 

-^which  usually  arise  from  the  same  cause — the  kid- 
neys are  especially  taxed  in  all  cases  of  excessive  ali- 
mentation. Instead  of  giving  these  organs  more  to 
do  by  feeding  or  drugging  the  patient,  cease  for  a 
little  time ;  allow  warm  water  plentifully  if  there  is 
thirst ;  even  turn  down  a  few  quarts  occasionally  in 
any  event.*  If  the  kidneys  have  struck  v/ork,  they 
will  resume  as  soon  as  they  have  had  a  little  rest. 
Digitalis  and  niter  would  not  have  to  be  resorted  to 
but  for  the  continued  feeding,  and,  in  any  case,  they 
are  more  likely  to  do  harm  than  good. 
I  will  illustrate  in  a  manner  the 

RELATION   OF  CONDITION   TO   RESERVED   FORCE. 

I  have  already  given   the  definition  of  the  former 
term,   and   will  here  define   the   latter.      The   term 


*  "Of  all  diuretics,  pure  water  is  the  best,"  says  Dr.  Dickinson 
in  his  celebrated  work  on  "  Bright's  Disease"  (W.  Howship 
Dickinson,  M.D.,  F.R.C.P.,  etc.) 


Parole,  foaled  1873,  by  Leamington,  out  of  Maiden,  by  Lexington.     Reduced  from  the 

Sportsman. 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  59 

"  reserved  force "  denotes  the  balance  of  physical 
power  on  the  part,  we  will  say,  of  the  horse,  to  con- 
tinue working  on  any  given  day  beyond  his  ordinary 
daily  habit  and  without  extreme  weariness ;  or,  at 
least,  it  is  here  used  in  that  sense.  As  this  capacity 
is  diminished  by  inaction,  or  augmented  by  use,  we 
have  the  ill  or  the  well-conditioned  hors«.  The 
amount  of  labor  the  horse  can  accomplish  up  to,  or 
nearly  to,  the  point  above  mentioned,  may  be  said 
to  constitute  his  reserved  force — his  vital  bank  ac- 
count— except  the  power  to  continue  to  live  and  to 
recover,  supposing  that  he  were  to  be  pressed  to 
complete  exhaustion.  Strictly  speaking,  this  would 
represent  the  limit  of  his  reserved  force ;  but  we 
have  in  view  the  former  definition. 

Let  us,  for  example,  take  the  case  of  a  gentleman's 
driving  horse,  little  used — one,  say,  that  has  for  years 
seldom  done  more  than  his  five  to  ten  miles  roading 
every  day  at  a  ''  mixed  "  rate  of  speed  ;  seldom  mak- 
ing more  than  ten,  as  often  making  only  five,  and 
frequently  remaining  in  his  stall  all  day.*  Let  us 
suppose  (for  we  can  do  no  more  than  this,  nor  is  more 
needed  to  illustrate  my  meaning)  that  he  could  make 
to-day,  at  an  ordinary  "  across  country  "  or  road  rate, 
forty  miles  (or  twenty  at  a  sharp  pace),  and,  though 
coming    to    stable    pretty  tired,  still   not  overtaxed. 


*  A  large  box-stall,  with  a  hard  floor  and  no  litter,  may  be 
reckoned  so  much  "to  the  good";  since  "every  step  the  horse 
takes  up  to  a  certain  limit  is  an  advantage ;  and  to  remain  abso- 
lutely inactive  for  a  single  day  hitched  in  a  narrow  stall,  is,  as  a 
rule,  a  positive  injury. 


6o  HORSES: 

How  to  put  him  in  shape  to  make  seventy-five  miles 
in  a  day  at  a  favoring  pace,  say  in  twelve  hours,  or 
forty  in  five  hours,  and  without  taxing  him  more 
heavily  than  in  the  case  first  supposed — that  is  the 
question.  Of  course,  there  are  many  horses  that 
could  not  be  brought  up  to  this  point,  but  it  would 
be  easily  within  the  limits  of  any  natural  roadster.  So 
far  as  condition  relates  to  vigorous  health  and  longev^ 
ity,  the  limit  would  be  better  fixed  at  a  somewhat 
lower  figure  perhaps,  providing  always  that  the  diet 
were  correspondingly  restricted ;  for  it  is  certain  that 
the  horse  that  is  fueled  up,  so  to  say,  for  two  hun- 
dred miles  a  week,  had  better  make  that  number 
than  anything  under  it.  Without  a  waste  of  words, 
I  will  say  that  the  principle  consists  in  gradually  in- 
creasing the  work  up  to  say  twenty-five  to  fifty  miles 
a  day,  averaging  thirty-five  perhaps,  and  at  a  good 
average  road-gait.  The  point  is  that  a  road-horse 
may  accomplish  on  any  given  day,  if  he  is  kept  in 
conditiony  two  to  five  times  his  daily  average — de- 
pending, of  course,  upon  what  his  average  is.*  He 
may  approach  this  for  two  days  in  succession,  even, 
if  naturally  a  powerful  animal,  and  without  overtax- 
ing him ;  providing  this  is  followed  by  ample  rest — 
say  an  entire  day  in  a  box-stall,  or  a  little  walk- 
round  on  the  *'  off  day."     In  this  I  am  not  consider- 


*  It  is  evident  that  while  a  horse  that  averages  ten  miles  a  day 
might  be  driven  five  times  that  distance  upon  occasion,  the  one 
making-  thirty-five  or  forty  would  be  limited  to  say  eighty  miles, 
or  about  twice  his  average ;  the  degree  of  exhaustion  in  the  two 
cases  being,  we  will  suppose,  about  equal. 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  6l 

ing  the  constitutional  difference  in  horses,  as  to  their 
varying  capacity  for  performing  great  tasks  ;  that  is 
altogether  another  question.  We  know  that  there  is 
a  limit  to  each  creature's  capacity  for  improvement ; 
but,  so  much  has  use  to  do  with  this  question,  that 
under  a  wise  cultivation  the  reserve  force,  or  the 
power,  we  will  say,  of  a  scrub-horse  may  be  so  im- 
proved, that  he  could  perform  easily  on  any  given 
day  or  week  an  amount  of  work  (no  reference  being 
made  to  a  mile  spurt,  by  any  means)  which  would  be 
impossible  for  the  most  superior  animal  not  in  "  con- 
dition," although  appearing  well  and  moving  about 
glibly  enough  when  taken  out  for  a  little  drive. 
This  principle,  though  "comprehended  in  some  meas- 
ure by  horsemen,  and  governing  their  operations  to 
a  degree,  is,  after  all,  very  imperfectly  understood  ; 
that  is,  they  do  not  "  work  it  for  all  there  is  in  it." 

FAT  AND   DISEASE. 

In  undertaking  to  put  a  "soft"  horse  into  condi- 
tion there  will  be  at  first  a  decrease  in  weight.  This 
can  not  be  prevented  (even  if  it  were  desirable)  by 
increasing  his  feed,  which  has  all  along  been  excess- 
ive, considering  his  work.  It  will  take  some  time 
and  increase  of  work  before  he  will  require  any  extra 
feed,  if  indeed  a  dimi-nution  may  not  be  desirable 
(see  case  given  in  note  to  Turf,  Field  and  Fai'in,  p.  24). 
But  when  he  shall  have  been  brought  up  to  a  high 
condition  of  power,  he  may  even  have  become  as 
plump  as  at  the  start  when  he  \Nd.sfat,  and  still  not 
have  any  fat  about  him ;  if  so,  his  weight  will  have 


62  HORSES: 

considerably  increased.  Flesh  is  heavier  than /*«//  i.e.y 
its  specific  gravity  is  greater. 

The  view  has  for  years  been  forcing  itself  upon  my 
mind  (and  recent  study  and  reflection  upon  past  and 
present  experiences  have  confirmed  it  so  unmistak- 
ably that  it  has  become  a  settled  conviction)  that  the 
power  of  the  organism  to  withstand  disease-produc- 
ing causes  from  without  depends  upon  the  absence 
of  disease-producing  causes  within.  If  the  latter  are 
practically  avoided,  man  becomes  practically  disease- 
proof;  and  it  is  no  less  true  of  the  horse  ;  and, 
moreover,  that  in  proportion  to  the  excess  of  fat  and 
water  in  the  tissues  of  the  body,  there  exists  a  sus- 
ceptibility to  epidemic  or  other  diseases ;  while,  with 
bodies  made  strong  and  clean  with  true  flesh  pro- 
duced by  a  well-balanced  regimen,  we  are  compara- 
tively proof  against  all  forms  of  disease. 

And  now  comes  Professor  Gustave  Jaeger,  of  Stutt- 
gart, "  who  has  proved,"  says  Dr.  Schlegel,  in  a  re- 
cent essay,  "  that  the  specific  gravity  of  different  in- 
dividuals is  very  different,  and  that  the  state  of 
health  of  those  individuals  is  closely  connected  with 
their  specific  gravity.  The  greater  the  weight  of  the 
human  body  in  comparison  to  the  space  which  it  oc- 
cupies, i.e.,  the  greater  its  specific  gravity,  the  more 
able  it  is  to  resist  epidemic  diseases.  Persons  of  a 
low  specific  gravity  are  taken  ill  from  very  insignifi- 
cant causes,  such  as  a  cold,  and  are  very  susceptible 
to  contagious  diseases.  Such  persons  have  usually  a 
fullness  of  the  body,  and  are  even  corpulent,  but  just 
that  which  gives  them  a  great  size  is  useless  ballast, 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  63 

viz. :  fat  and  water.  These  substances  endow  the 
heaviest  bodies  with  a  comparatively  low  specific 
gravity,  giving,  at  the  same  time,  to  the  constitu- 
tion, little  power  of  resistance." 

The  German  scientists  are  very  much  interested 
in  Dr.  Jaeger's  discoveries,  and  have  great  faith  in 
them.  No  one  there  doubts  that  he  has  discovered 
and  proved  beyond  cavil  that  the  power  of  the  human 
body  to  resist  disease  depends  upon  its  specific  grav- 
ity, and  this  unquestionably  is  a  valuable  discovery 
to  the  medical  profession. 

It  is  manifestly  true  that  the  soundness  of  the  tis- 
sues and  their  specific  gravity  must  depend  upon  the 
quality  and  quantity  of  the  ingesta,  including  the 
kind  of  air  habitually  breathed,  and  upon  the  balaftce 
maintained  between  the  amount  of  work  performed 
and  of  food  eaten.  Upon  the  wisdom  displayed  in 
carrying  out  these  views  or  considerations  depends 
the  power  of  the  organism  to  maintain  that  just 
balance  which  we  term  health. 

It  is  not  essential  to  fix  the  exact 

AMOUNT   OF  FOOD   NECESSARY 

for  any  and  every  horse,  so  that  the  owner  may 
weigh  and  measure  exactly  in  proportion  to  the  work 
or  exercise  his  horse  is  doing.  Horses  differ  some- 
what as  to  their  needs  (less,  however,  than  is  usually 
supposed) — some  working  harder  than  others  to  ac- 
complish the  same  service^but  it  is  entirely  out  of 
reason  for  a  horse  averaging  only  fifty  to  seventy- 
five  miles  buggy-riding  a  week  to  consume  as  much 


64  HORSES: 

grain  as  a  grocer's  horse  pulling  an  express  wagon 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  besides  taking  the  fam- 
ily out  for  a  drive  every  Sunday  perhaps.  And  yet 
the  latter  performing  all  this  keeps  plump,  round, 
and  "  feeling  good  "  throughout  the  year,  on  say  nine 
quarts,  often  less,  of  oats  a  day;  while  often  enough 
the  horse  of  leisure  consumes  twelve  quarts  of  grain 
and  possibly  as  much  hay  as  the  worker.  For  a  time 
he  may  maintain  a  fine  appearance,  but  we  seldom  ob- 
serve instances  of  such  animals  remaining  round  and 
handsome  as  well  as  spirited  to  what  is  usually  re- 
garded a  ripe  old  age — say  eighteen  to  twenty  years; 
but  why  not  thirty-five  to  forty?  But  oftener  than 
otherwise,  as  already  remarked,  these  animals  begin  to 
decline,  grow  seedy  (dyspeptic),  and,  at  the  age  of  eight 
or  ten  years,  become  worthless  as  family  horses,  where 
appearance  counts  for  more  than,  or  is  regarded  as 
synonynjous  with,  condition.  Out  of  the  ranks  of  this 
class,  too,  come  the  victims  to  acute  disease ;  a  few 
"  attacks  "  of  this  sort  (unless  finally  fatal)  preceding 
a  general  decline. 

As  a  general  thing  our  people  use  too  much  hay. 
It  is  the  prevalent  idea  everywhere  that  a  horse  may 
have  "  all  the  hay  he  will  eat  up  clean,"  whether  he 
is  a  worker  or  not.  Thus  he  is  at  the  mercy  of  his 
appetite,  which  will  often  lead  one  horse  not  averag- 
ing one  hour  of  hard  work  a  day  to  eat  double  the 
hay  eaten  by  another  that  works  six,  eight,  or  ten 
hours.  "  Horses  ain't  alike,"  satisfies  the  average  man 
when  this  question  comes  up.  Now,  if  a  horse  is  doing 
steady  hard  work,  as,  for  example,  hauling  heavy  loads 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET.  65 

for  eight  to  ten  hours  a  day,  and  is  sufficiently  fed,  he 
will  maintain  a  more  nearly  perfect  condition  than  is 
possible  for  the  horse  whose  exercise  is  very  light  and 
irregular.  The  latter  is  certain  to  become  disordered 
unless  sufficiently  restricted  not  only  as  to  grain,  but 
hay  also.  For  instance,  take  the  hard-working 
draught  horse  that  does  six  days  hard  work  every 
week.  Ten  pounds  of  hay  and  six  quarts  of 
whole  corn  for  a  horse  of  this  kind  weighing,  say, 
1,200  pounds,  would  be  a  generous  and  ample  ration  : 
the  breakfast  consisting  of  three  pounds  of  hay  and 
three  quarts  of  corn,  and  at  night,  two  hours  after 
quitting  work,  seven  pounds  of  hdij  fo/ lowed  hy  three 
quarts  of  corn.  The  hay  might  all  be  fed  at  night, 
and  only  the  three  quarts  of  corn  in  the  morning ; 
the  horse  in  this  case  filling  himself  with  hay  at 
night ;  then  having  his  three  quarts  of  corn  (or  its 
equivalent  in  other  grain),  after  which  he  will  lie 
pretty  much  all  night  contentedly,  finishing  his  hay 
at  early  morn,  when  he  will  be  ready  to  do  justice  to 
his  small  feed  of  grain.  Of  course,  many  will  still 
hold  to  the  three-meals  system,  but  we  are  improv- 
ing upon  the  old  practice  by  giving  only  a  light  feed 
of  grain  at  noon ;  no  hay,  except  morning  and  night. 
I  can  not  too  strongly  urge,  however,  and  especially 
for  hard-working  horses,  a  fair  trial  of  the  two-meals 
plan,  with  the  principal  meal  at  night,  first  allowing 
a  liberal  time  for  rest. 

In  my  own  city  I  find  that  one  truckman  working 
five  horses,  feeds  each,  regardless  of  size  or  work, 
eight  quarts  daily  of  corn  and  oats.    One  pair,  weigh- 


eS  '  HORSES: 

ing  1,350  pounds  each,  and  hauling  heavy  loads;  the 
other  three  animals  about  1,000  pounds  each,  and 
doing  light  work — all  fed  alike  !  In  this  stable,  last 
year,  there  were  three  cases  of  distemper — the  three 
lightly-worked,  but  equally  fed,  animals  were  the  vic- 
tims!  Does  this  not  afford  much  more  than  a  hint? 
In  the  stable  next  door  are  seven  horses,  weighing 
about  1,400  pounds  each,  and  doing  ten  hours'  hard 
work  every  day,  and  yet  they  eat  but  six  quarts  of 
grain  each — four  quarts  of  corn  (two  quarts  morning 
and  night),  and  two  quarts  of  oats,  the  latter  the  only 
feed  at  noon.  These  horses  are  in  splendid  condition 
all  the  time  :  they  look  fat,  but  they  are  not  so,  being 
filled  out  with  solid  muscle.  Another  pair,  one  of 
the  city  teams,  young  horses,  four  and  five  years  old, 
weighing  1,500  pounds  each,  have  but  six  quarts  of 
oats  a  day,  and  present  an  elegant  appearance.  A 
young,  growing  animal,  other  things  equal,  requires 
more  than  an  old  one.  Indeed,  the  digestive  powers 
of  any  creature  correspond  very  closely  to  his  muscu- 
lar powers.  Hence,  as  old  age  and  decrepitude  come 
on,  the  food  ration,  as  well  as  the  work  ration,  re- 
quires to  be  curtailed.  So  long,  however,  as  any  ani- 
mal or  any  man  can  and  does  perform  his  full  measure 
of  work,  he  can  and  will  digest  his  full  measure  of 
food — providing,  always,  that  he  has  a  full  measure 
of  fresh  air  twenty-four  hours  every  day  ! 

If  the  foregoing  be  the  ration  for  a  draught  horse 
working  from  morning  till  night,  how  much  should 
be  allowed  for  the  healthy  maintenance  of  a  horse 
weighing  900  or  950  pounds,  standing  in  the  stable 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  6/ 

nearly  all  day,  and  only  taken  out  for  an  hour's 
drive,  or  possibly  making  on  an  average  five  miles  a 
day?  Without  doubt  five  pounds  of  hay  and  four 
quarts  of  oats  (or  two  and  a  half  of  corn)  would  be 
more  than  he  would  be  able  to  digest.  Probably 
nice  bright  barley  or  rye  straw  would  be  much  bet- 
ter than  the  hay  in  all  such  cases,  as  well  as  for 
young  and  growing  animals ;  the  grain  ration  being 
sufficiently  increased,  say  fifty  per  cent.  Thousands 
of  horses  in  private  stables — horses  whose  work  is  far 
from  light — are  kept  thoroughly  nourished  and  in 
prime  condition  on  four  to  six  quarts  of  oats,  with 
liberal  rations  of  hay,  while  other  horses  look  pinched 
on  double  the  quantity  of  grain,  though  taking  no 
more,  perhaps  less  exercise.  In  fact,  such  horses  are 
victims  to  excess  in  diet,  and  their  owners  can  not 
comprehend  the  fact,  but  would  sooner  increase  than 
diminish  their  feed.  Three  times  the  work  or  one- 
third  the  food  would  in  the  course  of  a  few  months 
(chronic  diseases  can  never  be  suddenly  cured)  im- 
prove the  appearance  of  many  of  these  underworked 
horses  who  are  swallowing  ten  to  twelve  quarts  of 
grain  every  day. 

This  affords  a  hint  and  a  very  useful  one  to  such 
as  desire  to  study  the  question.     The  old  saying, 

"one's  meat  another's  poison," 

as  usually  applied,  is  most  mischievous  and  misleading. 
The  fact  is  that  horses,  like  men,  are  when  at  leisure 
(if  not  always)  natural  gourmands,  and  the  harder  all 
creatures  work,  the  less  applicable  this  term  is  in  de- 


68  HORSES: 

scribing  their  dietetic  characteristics  ;  for  the  more  we 
work,  the  more  we  must  and  are  every  way  entitled  to 
eat.  When  working  up  to  one's  full  capacity  and  ex- 
posed to  the  vicissitudes  of  a  cold  climate,  then,  and 
then  only,  is  the  appetite  anything  of  a  guide  as  to 
the  amount  of  food  best  calculated  to  promote  health. 
With  rare  exceptions  horses  will  never  restrict  their 
appetites,  but  will  continue  to  eat  until  they  have 
largely  exceeded  a  physiological  ration,  whether  of 
hay  or  grain.  Whenever  an  exception  to  this  rule 
has  to  be  noted,  it  may  be  depended  upon  that  the  ani- 
mal is  already  somewhat  clogged,  and,  in  consequence, 
is  slightly  ''  off  his  feed."  Some  horses  are,  it  is  true, 
less  gluttonous  than  most  of  the  race  ;  but  to  the  last 
one,  especially  when  doing  light  work,  they  will  eat 
too  much  if  permitted ;  or,  in  other  words,  they  will 
get  ahead  of  their  digestion  ;  and  are,  therefore,  predis- 
posed to  the  influenza  cure  or  to  the  pink-eye  cure,  or 
some  other  of  Nature's  methods  of  eliminating  disease. 
We  know  that  there  is  no  safety  in  permitting  any 
horse  to  have  free  access  to  the  grain  bin  ;  but  if  he 
has  such  liberty  with  the  hay-mow,  or  has  hay  in  his 
crib  most  of  the  time,  which  is  the  same  thing,  he 
will  certainly  become  dyspeptic  in  time,  or  at  any 
rate  will  keep  himself  so  stuffed  out  (unless  he  is  so 
overfed  with  grain  as  to  have  little  appetite  for  hay), 
as  to  be  unfit  for  a  free  and  easy  gait  on  the  road 
when  first  taken  out. 

It  is  no  easy  matter  to  insure  the  health  of  the 
"  sedentary-  '*  horse.  The  fact  is,  he,  like  his  master, 
is  designed  by  Nature  for  action^  not  for  a  sedentary 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET.  69 

life,  and,  as  elsewhere  remarked,  the  only  possible 
offset  for  abstinence  from  exercise  is  a  corresponding 
restriction  in  food,  upon  the  same  principle  with 
which  we  treat  the  steam  engine ;  viz.,  the  more 
power  required,  the  more  fuel  burned.  Two  impor- 
tant points  of  difference  may  be  here  noted  between 
the  dead  and  the  living  machines:  (i)  the  former 
when  not  employed  requires  no  fuel ;  the  latter  is 
7itver  totally  unemployed,  strictly  speaking;  since  the 
entire  organism  is  in  a  measure  at  work,  and,  therefore, 
requires  some  fuel  (food).  (2)  The  dead  engine  may  be 
fed  to  its  full  capacity,  though  exerting  no  power  be- 
yond the  more  rapid  revolution  of  its  driving-wheels, 
and  if  in  consequence  a  part  gives  out,  it  may  be  re- 
placed as  good  as  new,  and  this  replacement  may  go 
on  indefinitely;  as  with  the  old  revolutionary  gun, 
with  its  ''  new  lock,  stock,  and  barrel,"  but  not  so 
with  the  living  machine.  Full  rations  for  light  work 
is  in  direct  contravention  of  Nature's  law,  and  the 
penalty  is  inevitable — a  shortening  of  life  to  a  great 
degree  in  every  instance,  and  its  speedy  stamping  out 
in  a  vast  many  cases. 

In  any  event  a  horse  that  eats  the  equivalent  of 
five  pounds  of  hay  and  six  quarts  of  oats  daily,  should 
take  an  amount  of  exercise  equivalent  to  fifteen  to 
twenty  miles'  roading  at  the  rate  of  six  to  eight  miles 
an  hour  at  least,  or  say  125  miles  every  week,  even 
if  it  has  to  be  done  with  no  more  than  the  usual 
regard  for  the  rule  I  have  laid  down  as  to  work- 
ing on  a  full  stomach.  That  is  to  say,  of  the  two 
rules,  viz.,  (i)  ample  exercise  to  balance  diet,  and  (2) 


70 


HORSES: 


no  work  directly  after  eating,  the  first  is  the  most 
important ;  but  the  aim  should  be  to  regard  both 
rules  as  closely  as  possible.  So  far  as  the  above  ra- 
tion is  exceeded,  there  should  be  a  corresponding  in- 
crease in  the  amount  of  work  performed. 

THE   BEST  FEED. 

For  ordinary  purposes  hay  and  oats  form  a  com- 
plete diet,  and,  as  all  know,  these  are  the  staples.  I  am 
satisfied  that  the  less  change  or  variety  there  is  in 
the  feed  the  better.  The  stomach  of  any  creature 
becomes  adapted  to  the  regular  food,  and  can  digest 
and  assimilate  far  better  than  where  it  has  one  kind 
to-day  and  another  to-morrow  and  another  the  next, 
or  greatly  differing  quantities  of  the  same.  This 
principle  is  very  generally  admitted  ;  but  many  still 
harbor  the  idea  that  some  change  is  essential,  as  an 
occasional  change  from  oats  to  corn,  and  vice  versa. 
The  tendency  of  this  is  to  produce  indigestion,  and 
there  is  undoubtedly — though  it  may  not  be  ob- 
served— less  perfect  digestion  in  every  case  for  the 
first  few  days  on  the  new  diet.*  The  reason  usually 
given  for  such  a  change  is  that  they  "  eat  sharper  " 
or  have  a  sharper  appetite  in  consequence.  This  alone 
would  go  far  to  condemn  the  practice,  for  there  will 
never  be  a  lack  of  perfect  appetite  for  the  regular  diet, 
except  as  the  result  of  getting  a  little  too  much  of  it.  It 


*  Cows  at  pasture  will  generally  shrink  their  milk  to  some  de- 
gree at  first  if  a  ration  of  grain  is  added  to  their  diet  as  well  as 
when  their  feed  is  lessened.  The  reason  is  that  the  stomach  has 
to  adapt  itself  to  the  digestion  of  a  new  food. 


Crown  Jewel  (Norman    Stallion),  imported  July,  1883,  by  Dillon    Bros.,  Normal,   111.     Weighs 

over  2,000  lbs. 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET,  71 

is  truly  enough  said  of  some  horses  that  *'  oats  don*t 
do  them  any  good,"  or  much  good,  to  say  the  least. 
These  animals  are  so  greedy  that  they  swallow  their 
oats  with  but  very  little  mastication,  and  hence  there 
is  a  failure  in  digestion.  For  such  horses  whole  corn 
is  the  only  proper  grain,  and  in  many  instances  even 
this  should  be  given 

ON  THE   COB. 

This  is  by  far  the  best  way  to  feed  corn  in  any  case, 
more  especially  with  old  horses.  Fed  thus  it  is  sure 
to  get  the  most  complete  mastication,  so  essential  to 
digestion  and  the  extraction  of  the  entire  nutriment. 
F.  D.  Curtis,  of  Kirby  homestead,  and  many  others 
speak  highly  in  favor  of  this  feed  from  actual  experi- 
ence. It  is  almost  the  exclusive  grain  fed  —  and 
sometimes  almost  the  exclusive  feed — in  the  West 
and  Southwest.  I  believe  that  in  many  cases  the  use 
of  the  cob  itself,  ground  with  the  corn,  is  a  great  ad- 
vantage— furnishing  bulk,  and  some  nutriment — es- 
pecially for  horses  of  light  work. 

FLATULENCE — CRIBBING. 

The  idea  prevails  very  generally  that  a  horse  be- 
comes flatulent  by  swallowing  air;  and,  if  he  is  a 
'*  cribber,"  it  is  thought  to  be  a  sure  case.  Now  it  is 
about  as  difficult  a  matter  for  one  to  take  air  into  the 
stomach  as  food  into  the  lungs — perhaps  I  may  say 
that  it  is  even  more  so.  Certainly  the  latter  is  one 
of  the  rarest  circumstances ;  the  former  is  well-nigh 
impossible,  and,  I  believe,  never  occurs.     It   is  not 


72  HORSES: 

Nature's  way  of  doing  things.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  is  most  fortunate  that  she  does  try  to  help  us  out 
of  a  bad  fix,  first,  by  causing  the  generation  of  gas 
through  fermentation,  when  too  much  food  has  been 
swallowed  or  taken  under  wrong  conditions ;  and 
second,  by  arranging  for  its  escape  by  one  outlet  or 
another. 

The  crib-biter  is  a  dyspeptic  without  doubt.  It  is 
not  positively  known  that  this  practice  is  pursued 
for  the  purpose  of  facilitating  the  eructation  of  gas 
from  the  stomach,  though  many  believe  this  to  be 
so,  and  there  are  certainly  good  grounds  for  this  be- 
lief. The  practice  may  arise  from  the  uneasiness  oc- 
casioned by  the  irritation  and  discomfort  of  a  disor- 
dered stomach. 

*'  We  conclude,*'  says  the  Prairie  Farmer,  "  that  it 
generally  arises  in  horses  in  poor  condition,  and  that, 
in  the  first  instance,  the  habit  is  acquired  from  an 
effort  of  nature  to  get  rid  of  the  gases  collected  in 
the  stomach.  We  have  not  known  a  fat  horse  to 
take  to  crib-biting  by  standing  next  to  another  af- 
fected with  it,  but  a  lean  horse  that  is  difficult  to 
get  fat  may  do  so.  This  habit  when  once  acquired, 
will  seldom  be  left  off,  but  the  same  diseased  action 
and  tendency  to  flatulency  will  still  continue.  A 
greatly  improved  regimen  is  the  only  hope.  We  do 
not  think  that  horses  inhale  the  air  in  crib-biting. 
We  consider  it  an  effort  to  expel  air.  We  never  saw 
a  horse  make  a  gulp  or  attempt  to  swallow  air. 
Whether  any  air  is  expelled  from  the  stomach  in 
crib-biting  we  can  not  determine,  but  think  there  is 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET  73 

some  portion,  and  that  the  principal  noise  is  from 
the  fauces.  The  construction  of  the  fauces  and 
stomach  of  a  horse  renders  the  eructation  of  air  a  dif- 
ficult process,  and  we  have  seen  horses  nearly  choked 
by  a  sudden  rush  of  gas  up  the  oesophagus,  but  this 
effect  was  probably  caused  by  the  noxious  quality 
of  the  gas.  The  distention  of  the  stomach  of  the 
animal  in  crib-biting  depends,  we  consider,  on  the 
gases  given  out  from  the  food,  as  a  proof  of  which 
the  hindering  a  crib-biter  from  his  habit  will  not  al- 
ways prevent  this  distention.  We  all  know  that 
many  persons  of  sedentary  habits  are  peculiarly  lia- 
ble to  dyspepsia  and  flatulency,  and  we  must  all 
have  experienced  the  unpleasant  sensation  attend- 
ing it.  How  are  they  relieved  ?  By  exercise  or  by 
giving  an  agent  to  dispel  those  gases." 

Since  an  ''  agent "  is  very  inexpensive,  at  least  in 
immediate  cash-outlay,  and  less  bothersome  than  to 
spend  one's  time  in  simply  exercising  an  animal  that 
has  no  steady  employment,  it  is  often  resorted  to  ;  but 
the  more  dosing  he  gets,  the  worse  he  is  off  finally. 

In  my  opinion,  cribbing  is  neither  a  habit  nor  a 
vice,  but  rather  a  symptom  of  disease.  I  have  never 
known  a  case  of  a  horse  that  fully  satisfied  my  views 
as  to  condition  to  take  up  or  continue  the  practice 
of  crib-biting,  though,  as  the  writer  quoted  says, 
horses  given  to  it  seldom  leave  it  off.  But  this  is,  in 
my  opinion,  because  the  disease  which  gives  rise  to 
it  is  allowed  to  continue  by  a  continuance  of  the 
same  general  regimen  which  caused  it.  A  chronic 
disease  is  usually  the  result  of  chronic  disobedience 
4 


74 


HORSES. 


to  natural  laws — a  continued  protest,  wherein  nat- 
ure's patience  under  abuse  is  aptly  illustrated.  Sed- 
entary men  and  sedentary  horses,  i.e.,  those  who  do 
not  work  steadily  a  good  portion  of  the  day,  are  gen- 
erally subject  to  flatulence ;  and  this  is  because  they 
have  an  appetite  for  liberal  rations,  relatively  speak- 
ing (and  often  positively),  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  the  said  rations  are  not  "  earned  by  the  sweat 
of  the  brow"!  Such  individuals  are  relieved  by  a 
change  of  regimen,  as  working  more  or  eating  less, 
perhaps  both.  It  is  easier  to  prevail  upon  a  man  to 
take  more  exercise  than  to  induce  him  to  take  less 
food  ;  and,  of  the  two,  the  former  is  far  the  best.  It 
is  the  same  with  the  horse  in  all  respects.  If  the 
change  is  carried  far  enough,  if  the  work  is  long  and 
steady  enough  to  balance  the  diet,  and  if  the  food  is 
of  the  right  sort  and  taken  at  proper  times,  there 
will  be  entire  exemption  from  indigestion  and  con- 
sequently from  flatulence  (perhaps  not  immediately, 
but  finally),  and,  in  the  case  of  the  cribbing  horse, 
the  ''  habit "  will  be  eventually  dropped.  Since, 
however,  it  is  not  practicable  to  give  all  horses  suffi- 
cient work  or  exercise  to  keep  them  in  prime  condi- 
tion, and  since  they  are  rarely  restricted  in  diet  to 
correspond — for  we  are  inevitably  tempted  to  over- 
feed— few  cribbers  are  ever  cured.  The  horse  is  will- 
ing to  work  early  and  late.  He  is  ambitious  to  eat 
largely,  even  though  deprived  of  the  work  which  is 
equally  essential  to  health  and  (prolonged)  life. 

Says  a  recent  writer  (and   this   experience   is  not 
unique   by  any   means):    "We   have   observed    that 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET,  75 

when  crib-biters  are  on  long,  slow,  regular  work,  they 
crib  less.  We  have  seen  many  cases  in  which  crib- 
biters  being  debarred  from  their  habit,  have  fallen 
away  in  flesh,  and  others  in  which  the  animal  has 
been  much  more  liable  to  colic ;  and  we  think  that 
in  many  crib-biters  the  habit  is  necessary  to  the 
health  of  the  animal.  We  usually  see  crib-biters 
thin,  but  we  think  that  proceeds  more  from  a  dis- 
eased action  of  the  digestive  organs  than  from  the 
effect  of  the  habit,  and  their  being  poor  is  no  proof 
that  crib-biting  makes  them  so.  When  a  crib-biter 
continues  in  good  health  and  condition,  if  he  can  be 
kept  apart  from  other  horses,  we  see  no  reason  why 
he  should  be  debarred  from  cribbing;  and,  indeed, 
we  think  that,  generally  speaking,  it  would  prove  in- 
jurious to  him." 

I  would  advise  a  trial  of  corn  on  the  cob  for  crib- 
bing horses.  This  gives  them  honest  gnawing  and 
less  excuse,  need,  or  desire  for  that  which  works  mis- 
chief. Besides,  this  form  of  diet  is  in  other  ways 
good  for  whatever  ails  them.  It  is  eaten  slowly, 
masticated  thoroughly,  and  will,  therefore,  be  more 
perfectly  digested — that  is,  the  quantity  that  can 
possibly  be  digested ;  or,  in  other  words,  the  amount 
suited  to  their  needs.  The  amount  necessary 
will  be  much  less  in  this  form  than  if  shelled  for 
them.  Little  hay  (if  nice,  clean  straw  is  available) 
with  this  feed  for  the  horse  of  light  work  is  a  good 
rule.  In  nothing  I  have  said  have  I  designed  to  en- 
courage insufficient  feeding.  Every  creature  that  is 
permitted  to  live  should  be  furnished  with 


76  HORSES: 

PLENTY   TO   EAT  AND   DRINK; 

but  "enough  is  better  thdiX).  a  feast,"  and  it  is  no  kind- 
ness to  dumb  animals  to  overfeed  and  underwork 
them,  even  if  we  do  thus  serve  ourselves.  If  we  our- 
selves choose  disease-producing  habits,  we  have  no 
right  to  make  that  choice  for  the  creatures  who  are 
at  our  mercy. 

THE   HORSE-OF-ALL-WORK. 

*'What  kind  of  a  horse  should  the  all-purpose 
horse  be?"  was  asked  of  Colonel  Coleman,  of  Il- 
linois, and  he  replied,  "  It  should  be  a  horse  sixteen 
hands  high,  with  good  serviceable  body  and  limbs, 
and  then  the  more  style  he  has  the  better.  If  he 
carries  a  fine  head  on  a  well-arched  neck ;  if  he  has  a 
long  bushy  tail  and  an  active  way  of  going  at  the 
walk  or  the  trot  or  the  run  even,  all  the  better. 
Such  a  horse  is  large  enough,  and  not  too  large. 
He  is  just  the  size  for  the  plow  or  the  wagon,  for  the 
saddle  or  the  buggy  or  the  carriage.  He  is  ready  and 
suitable  for  any  job  of  work  on  the  farm  or  off  of  it. 
If  he  is  for  sale  his  owner  will  find  plenty  of  buyers. 
If  he  has  the  size  and  qualities  spoken  of,  and  is  in 
addition  trotting-bred,  so  much  the  better,  for  he 
will  command  so  much  the  greater  price. 

"  The  horse  '  Capt.  Lewis '  was  taken  from  the 
plow  last  spring,  had  never  had  any  training,  and 
trotted  in  2 :  20  before  the  first  season  was  over, 
and  $20,000  has  been  refused  for  him.  St.  Julien, 
with  a  record   of  2:  ii^,  used  to  be  worked  on  the 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  77 

farm  and  driven  in  a  milk  wagon,  and  $40,000  would 
not  buy  him.  Occident,  with  a  record  of  2:16^, 
used  to  be  driven  in-  a  sand-cart  and  was  most  un- 
mercifully abused,  and  numbers  of  such  instances 
could  be  given  to  show  the  value  of  trotting-bred  an- 
cestry [and  of 

PLENTY   OF   SOLID   WORK 

to  form  a  splendid  muscular  system,  the  Colonel 
might  have  added].  But  if  the  thorough-bred 
or  running- bred  stallion  be  preferred,  and  has 
the  size  and  qualities  desired,  use  him.  Have 
you  never  seen  a  model  stallion  or  model  mare, 
with  size,  style,  and  beauty  that  just  filled  the 
bill  ?  Secure  such  or  breed  to  such  and  you  get 
such,  for  *  like  begets  like.'  Select  your  brood 
mares,  after  securing  the  proper  stallion,  ever  keep- 
ing size,  style,  color,  action,  disposition,  and  sound- 
ness in  view,  and  you  can  not  make  a  mistake  either 
in  breeding  farm  horses,  carriage  horses,  trotting 
horses,  running  horses,  or  pack  horses.  This  breed- 
ing to  the  common  scrub  horses  is  costing  the  far- 
mers millions." 

TURNING   HORSES   TO    GRASS. 

It  is  a  popular  idea  that  a  horse^kept  up  on  a  plank 
floor  and  fed  on  dry  feed  for  a  considerable  time 
needs  "  a  run  to  grass,"  and  will  be  improved  in  con- 
dition by  such  a  change,  says  the  National  Live  Stock 
Journal.  It  is  not  generally  sufficiently  considered 
that  such  a  change  is  violent ;   rendered  so  by  the 


78  HORSES: 

sudden  change  from  dry,  nutritious  food  to  which 
the  system  had  become  accustomed,  and  has  done 
well  on,  to  a  surfeit  of  grass,  which  distends  the  di- 
gestive organs,  ferments,  unduly  loosening  the  bowels, 
and  taking  off  firm  flesh  which  can  hardly  be  restored 
under  a  month  or  two  of  careful  feeding  and  exer- 
cising. 

Changes  in  the  food  given  to  farm  animals,  with 
proper  restrictions,  are  proper  to  be  made,  but  such 
as  are  made  through  recommendations  by  ignorant 
persons,  no  sound  reasons  existing  for  them,  are  not 
likely  to  prove  beneficial.  A  horse  is  frequently 
turned  out  for  the  purpose,  in  the  language  of  the 
groom,  of  taking  the  fever  out  of  him,"  while,  if  he 
has  been  properly  cared  for,  and  driven  with  discre- 
tion, he  will  have  no  fever  in  him.  If  he  exhibits 
feverish  symptoms,  a  day's  fast,  or  a  little  less  food 
and  more  fresh  air,  with  more  exercise  in  many  cases, 
and  less  work  in  others,  will  very  speedily  restore  the 
balance.  But  to  administer  physic,  change  his  feed, 
or  turn  him  out  to  grass,  on  the  assumption  that  it  is 
good  for  the  animal  to  be  occasionally  "  loosened 
up,"  is  wrong. 

The  horse-owner  himself  would  not  be  likely,  when 
in  the  best  possible  state  of  health — the  digestion 
good  and  the  muscles  firm — to  listen  to  a  suggestion 
that  he  leave  off  his  bread,  meat,  potatoes,  and  con- 
fine hirnself  to  greens  and  water  for  a  month  or  two. 
This  might  do  very  well  in  midsummer,  as  a  measure 
for  counteracting  the  mischief  of  enforced  and  abso- 
lute idleness  or  lack  of  exercise ;  but  all  such  changes, 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET, 


79 


whether  in  man  or  beast,  disturb  the  functions,  dimin- 
ish the  proportion  of  red  globules  in  the  blood,  render 
the  muscular  fibers  flabby,  that  they  tire  soon  on  ex- 
ertion, overstimulate  the  kidneys  and  skin,  because 
these  emunctories  are  called  upon  to  release  from  the 
system  an  excess  of  fluid,  green  grass  being  largely 
made  up  of  water.  This  excessive  action  impairs,  lets 
down  below  the  healthy  standard,  and  it  takes  time, 
feed,  and  care  to  replace  wasted  tissues  and  restore 
lost  tone. 

But  it  is  not  alone  the  sudden  change  referred  to 
which  causes  risk.  The  horse  accustomed  to  a  dry 
stable,  protected  from  wet  above  and  beneath,  is 
poorly  prepared  to  stay  out  in  the  cold  rains  of 
autumn,  much  less  to  lie  in  the  wet.  This  exposure 
makes  a  greater  impression  than  it  otherwise  would 
because  of  the  change  from  grain  to  grass,  the  power 
of  resistance  being  lessened  in  proportion  as  the 
blood  has  parted  with  its  globules.  Loss  of  condi- 
tion and  a  staring  coat  come  from  this  exposure,  and 
if  the  horse  be  at  all  susceptible  to  lung  trouble  he 
may  contract  this.  Hence,  for  these  reasons,  the 
idea  of  turning  a  horse  out  to  get  him  into  condition 
is  a  very  erroneous  one. 

If,  for  any  reason — and  this  should  not  be  an  imag- 
inary one — the  horse  is  thought-  to  require  green 
food,  or  a  change,  for  a  time,  from  the  habitual  dry 
grain,  then  give  him  bran  mashes  and  roots.  But 
the  moment  this  course  is  entered  upon  the  system 
is  weakened,  the  effect  being  precisely  upon  the  mus- 
cles of  the  horse  as  upon  the  steel  spring  when  the 


8o  HORSES: 

temper  is  taken  out.  The  English  farmer  feeds  roots, 
not  because  of  any  supposed  high  nutritive  value,  as 
they  are  well  known  to  be  made  up  of  three-fourths 
and  over  of  water,  but  because,  in  the  case  of  fatten- 
ing animals,  especially  cattle  and  sheep,  roots  main- 
tain, in  stock  confined  in  the  stall  or  pen,  a  condition 
akin  to  that  enjoyed  while  upon  grass.  But  these 
reasons  do  not  at  all  apply  to  the  horse  ;  in  fact,  this 
is  precisely  what  a  living  creature,  whether  man  or 
beast,  should  avoid — only  dj' ing- 3.nima.\s,  animals,  that 
is  to  say,  designed  for  slaughter,  and  in  whose  cases 
the  question  of  sound  health  for  next  year  and  coming 
years  does  not  enter  into  the  account,  are  subjects 
for  fattening, — for  if,  while  kept  either  for  work  or 
speed,  he  is  mxade  to  accumulate  fat  from  soft  or 
green  food,  in  proportion  to  the  fat  so  laid  on,  in  that 
proportion  does  he  part  with  his  ability  to  do  bodily 
labor.  The  less  changes  in  his  diet  the  better.  He 
will  never  lack  for  appetite  unless  he  gets  ahead  of 
his  stomach  ;  and  then  give  it  time  enough  and  it 
will  catch  up  ! 

But  very  few  know  anything  of  the  value  of  oil- 
cake meal  for  horses.  Its  use  in  fattening  fine-bred 
cattle  has  long  been  common,  and  its  value  fully  ap- 
preciated. The  same  can  be  said  of  swine,  for  no 
other  feed  will  cause  a  pig  to  gain,  put  him  in  show 
condition  so  speedily,  and  give  him  a  glossiness  of 
coat  not  obtainable  in  any  other  way  so  well  as  linseed 
oil-cake  meal.  What  oil-cake  will  do  for  cattle  and  pigs 
it  will  do  equally  well  for  horses.  A  horse  appear- 
ing to  be  bound  up,  as  this  term  is  understood  in  the 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET,  8 1 

stable,  can,  by  the  use  of  this  feed,  be  relieved  of  this 
condition  as  promptly  as  by  turning  out  to  grass,  in- 
volving  none  of  the  contingencies  which  attend  the 
latter,  the  full  strength  and  vigor  being  maintained 
in  the  meantime.  Nothing  so  quickly  improves  the 
coat  of  the  horse  as  the  use  of  a  little  oil-cake  incor- 
porated with  his  feed,  while  turning  out  to  grass  in 
sun  and  rain  fades  and  roughens  the  hair  in  a  week's 
time.  In  addition  to  this,  oil-cake  loosens  the  bowels, 
the  degree  to  which  this  is  done  being  entirely  under 
control,  while  the  effect  of  a  run  on  grass  is  largely  a 
matter  of  chance. 

THE   FEEDING  OF   ROAD   HORSES, 

Eight  years  ago  I  began  to  practice  medicine  in 
the  country  (says  "  an  Orange  County  doctor,"  in  the 
Tribune),  and  was  advised  by  my  father-in-law,  a  phy- 
sician of  thirty  years'  experience,  to  feed  my  horse 
but  twice  a  day.  The  proposition  was  indignantly 
spurned  ;  I  ate  three  times  daily  ;  why  should  not  my 
horse  ?  At  last  prevailed  upon,  I  made  a  trial  of  the 
system,  and  after  some  years'  experience  am  more 
than  satisfied.  I  can  most  heartily  endorse  all  that 
Dr.  Page  wrote — in  the  recent  article  on  "  Horse  Hy- 
giene " — and  would  respectfully  submit  the  following 
rules  for  feeding  road  horses:  (i)^Feed  as  near  6  A.M. 
and  6  P.M.  as  possible ;  or  in  winter  at  5  P.M.  if  pre- 
ferred. (2)  Vary  your  feed  in  kind  from  time  to  time  ; 
oats,  however,  always  being  the  staple.  (3)  Vary  the 
quantity  of  feed  according  to  the  work.  (4)  Always 
shake  the  dust  and  settlings  out  of  your  hay,  and  use 
4* 


82  HORSES: 

only  a  very  moderate  quajitity.  (5)  Never  drive  your 
horse,  if  you  can  help  it,  until  he  has  stood  at  least 
two  hours  after  feeding  and  watering,  and  never  feed 
or  water  until  he  has  rested  at  least  one  hour. 

[It  would  always  be  safe — better,  indeed — to  mod- 
ify this  rule  in  so  far  as  to  permit  of  a  small  draught  of 
water,  if  the  animal  is  thirsty.  However  hot  or  tired 
he  may  be,  a  little  water  will  do  good,  not  harm,  and 
it  would  often  be  cruel  to  refuse  it.  If,  however,  he 
be  permitted  to  drink  his  fill  at  such  a  time,  he  might 
take  more  than  the  organism  needed ;  enough  to 
cause  discomfort,  even  serious  disorder.] 

Now  a  few  comments.  Rule  i.  Feed  your  horse 
in  the  morning  all  the  grain  he  will  eat  clean ;  that  is, 
the  ration  that  he  will  finish  with  a  keen  relish,  day 
after  day, — not  what  he  might  be  inclined  to  swallow, 
say,  to-day,  but  which  would  make  him  logy  for  the 
next  six  hours,  or  cloy  him  and  prevent  a  sharp  ap- 
petite for  the  next  meal.  When  he  has  eaten  it,  offer 
him  a  little  hay ;  my  rule  is,  as  much  as  you  can  pack 
twice  in  a  water-bucket.  Too  much  hay  bloats  a  horse 
and  makes  his  wind  short,  and  may  produce  heaves. 
Let  your  hay  be  clean ;  shake  out  the  dust  and  pick 
out  the  large  weeds.  After  he  has  finished  his  hay 
he  may  be  groomed  and  watered,  and  two  hours  after 
he  has  had  his  grain  he  is  ready  for  the  road.  His 
food  has  been  at  least  partially  digested,  and  passed 
to  credit  of  the  blood,  and  thence  to  the  muscular 
and  nervous  system ;  and  instead  of  a  load  of  crude 
substances  to  carry,  he  feels  an  invigoration  of  fresh 
vitality  supplied  to  his  system.     Now,  the  horse  so 


Miss  Woodford;  three  years;  by  Billet.     Reduced Jrom  the  Sportsman. 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET.  Z^ 

treated  and  driven  upon  the  road  needs  no  feeding 
until  night ;  further,  he  is  better  not  fed.  If  your 
driving  at  noon  or  near  it  offers  an  intermission,  put 
him  in  the  stable,  take  off  the  harness  and  let  him 
stand  an  hour.  Then  offer  him  water,  and  in  an  hour 
again  rub  him  off,  harness,  and  drive  on. 

Rule  2.  We  prefer  oats  as  a  basis.  In  winter  a 
little  corn  with  it,  perhaps,  and  sometimes  a  little 
wheat  bran.  In  winter  corn  and  oats  ground  to- 
gether— no  rye — or  a  little  flaxseed  meal  with  oats  is 
excellent.  Ground  feed  (corn,  oats,  and  xy€)  makes 
fat  on  the  ribs  especially,  and  produces  less  muscle 
than  oats. 

Rule  3.  If  you  jog  your  horse  six  miles  a  day,  he 
does  not  need  half  the  feed  he  will  if  you  push  him 
hard  forty  or  fifty  miles,  as  I  frequently  do.  I  feed 
eight  quarts  every  day,  ten  if  the  trips  are  very 
many,  and  twelve  or  sixteen  if  the  trips  are  many  and 
long.  Finally,  let  him  rest  at  night  before  you  feed 
him,  at  least  one  hour.  And  if  he  is  very  weary  a 
two-hours  rest  is  better ;  then  water  and  feed.  I 
prefer  my  night  feed  to  exceed  by  a  trifle  that  of  the 
morning.  This  regimen  prevents  all  possibility  of 
foundering,  and  the  horse  has  a  better  appetite. 

I.  W.  Horton,  truckman  for  the  agricultural  imple- 
ment house  of  R.  H.  Allen  &  Co.,  Water  Street, 
New  York  City,  found  a  good  deal  of  trouble, 
delay,  and  loss,  as  do  all  truckmen,  occasioned  by 
the  noon  feed.  The  teams  would  not  only  lose 
an  hour  during  the  best  part  of  the  day,  but,  by 
losing  their  places  in  the  line  during  a  rush  at  the 


84  HORSES: 

wharves,  etc.,  there  was  a  further  and  often  great  loss. 
Besides,  over  and  above  the  unpreventable  delay,  it 
gave  plenty  of  opportunity  for  dishonest  loafing  :  the 
excuse,  ''  Had  to  wait  my  turn,"  was  always  in  order, 
and  there  was  no  way  of  questioning  it.  A  noted 
horseman  suggested  the  two-meal  system,  saying : 
"  It  is  always  safe  ;  your  horses  will  stand  their  work 
better  by  leaving  out  the  noon  meal,  and  you  will 
avoid  all  unnecessary  loss  of  time.  It  is  just  the  rem- 
edy you  require  ;  and,  moreover,  will  prevent  disease.'* 
The  plan  was  tried  and  found  to  work  admirably.  The 
best-conditioned  animals  maintained  their  condition, 
the  others  gained  up  under  the  treatment,  and  there 
were  none  to  complain,  except  such  of  the  men  as 
wanted  an  opportunity  to  shirk.  Of  course,  when 
truck  teams  have  abundant  rest,  at  odd  times,  dur- 
ing the  day,  they  have  no  occasion  for  rest  at  any 
special  hour  when  work  is  "  rushing."  In  any  event 
the  rest,  at  noon,  when  horses  are  actually  tired,  is 
far  better  than  a  feed,  for  reasons  heretofore  given, 
and  which  must  be  self-evident  to  all  expert  physiol- 
ogists, certainly  evident  to  all  observing  men  who 
have  given  the  subject  any  special  thought  in  connec- 
tion with  even  a  brief  trial. 

In  summer,  especially,  this  rule  should  be  applied, 
to  prevent  all  danger  of  exhaustion,  or  so-called  sun- 
stroke. 

DIET   OF  TRAM-WAY   HORSES. 

"  It  takes  a  tough  horse  to  stand  horse-car  service,'* 
said  the  head  man  at  the  Third  Avenue  Horse  R.R. 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET,  85 

Company's  stables.  The  feed  here  is  eight  pounds  of 
hay  and  seventeen  and  a  half  pounds  of  corn  and  oat- 
meal, or  between  seven  and  eight  quarts,  the  meal 
mixed  with  the  cut  and  wet  hay.  These  animals  are, 
to  be  sure,  fed  three  times  a  day ;  but  the  head  man 
acknowledged  that  it  is  impossible,  under  the  three- 
meal-a-day  system,  to  avoid  feeding  when  the  animals 
are  neither  heated  nor  soon  to  be  put  to  their  hard 
work,  though  such  avoidance  would  be  a  great  ad- 
vantage. The  proposed  system  would  solve  this 
problem.  But  a  suggestion  to  that  effect  elicited 
from  the  kind-hearted  overseer  the  rejoinder:  "A 
horse  wants  feeding  as  often  as  a  man ! "  True 
enough ;  but  here  comes  in  the  fact  that  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  men — workers,  too,  not  drones — have, 
for  preventive  or  curative  purposes,  adopted  the  two- 
meal  plan,  and  the  sufficiency  of  this  regimen  has 
never  been  disproved.  Many,  indeed,  have  been 
forced  to  feed  themselves  thus,  in  order  to  enable 
them  to  continue  their  arduous  labors.  It  is  not 
what  any  creature  swallows,  but  what  he  digests  and 
assimilates,  that  sustains  him. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  horse  and  the 
man,  although  constituted  very  much  alike,  so  far  as 
their  needs  are  concerned,  speaking  with  regard  to 
food,  differ  widely  in  their  mental- and  emotional  or- 
ganizations. One  has  appetite  only ;  the  other  appe- 
tite and  reason — perhaps.  A  horse,  jogging  along  the 
road,  or  working  at  the  plow,  will  not  have  a  mind 
occupied  with  visions  of  a  dinner  "  on  time."  He  be- 
comes thirsty,  as  does  his  driver,  and  at  sight  of  water 


86  '    HORSES: 

evinces  a  strong  inclination  for  a  draught.  So,  too, 
at  the  sight  of  food,  he,  hke  the  man,  will  exhibit  his 
desire  for  a  lunch,  in  season  or  out — that  is,  for  a  little 
palate-tickling,  whether  food  be  needed  or  not.  If 
his  habit  is  to  eat  three  meals,  he  will  take  four,  and,  if 
it  is  presented,  take  the  second  three  hours  after  the 
first,  instead  of  saying,  like  a  man,  "  No,  thank  you, 
it  isn't  my  time !  "  Thousands  of  us  have  learned 
from  experience  that  we  enjoy  more,  and  are  better 
nourished  by  waiting  full  time.  But  as  the  "  time  " 
draws  near,  we  begin  to  think  about  it,  and  thus 
work  up  an  appetite,  times  without  number,  for  a 
dinner  which  we  do  not  need,  but  which  is  certain 
to  make  us  feel  uncomfortable.  We  find  that  thou- 
sands of  men  have  adopted  the  two-meal,  hundreds, 
indeed,  the  one-meal-a-day  system,  and  find  a  great 
advantage  in  so  doing.  The  principle  that  a  man 
may  adopt,  from  knowledge  and  conviction  in  the 
matter  of  his  own  diet,  he  may  also  extend  to  his 
horse;  the  latter  does  not  require  the  convincement 
of  his  reason  or  intellect  in  the  premises,  but  readily 
accepts  his  needed  food  in  four,  three,  or  two  install- 
ments. In  either  case  he  will  (on  the  four,  as  well  as 
on  the  two-meal  plan)  accept  a  lunch  at  any  hour,  un- 
less he  has, -from  excess  or  some  other  cause,  become 
"  off  his  feed."  But,  given  enough  (and  this  he 
should  always  have,  to  be  sure),  he  will  thrive  and 
enjoy  all  that  his  nature  makes  possible.  Give  him 
too  much  (whether  at  two  or  more  meals)  and  he 
must  suffer  for  it.  He  can  digest  as  much  on  the 
two-meal  plan  as  on  the  three.    Just  as  he  can  accom- 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THETR  FEET.  g/ 

plish  as  much  labor  in  a  year,  working  ten  hours  a  day, 
as  he  can  by  working  fifteen,  probably  more.  He  can 
digest  as  much  food  as  he  needs  and  no  more.  What- 
ever the  number  of  his  meals,  he  can  not  asshnilate 
any  more  than  his  system  requires  for  the  work  he 
performs.  Hence,  it  becomes  a  matter  of  the  owner's 
judgment  as  to  when  and  how  often.  Whoever  tries 
this  plan  on  himself,  or  on  his  horse,  will  not  fail  to 
be  convinced  of  its  sufficiency  not  only,  but,  as  before 
remarked,  of  its  advantages  over  any  other  system. 
For  horses  that  work  hard  throughout  the  entire  day, 
I  repeat  that  the  noon  feed  is  altogether  unphysio- 
logical.  It  is  especially  dangerous  in  summer.  The 
time,  however  short,  spent  in  eating,  if  devoted  en- 
tirely to  rest  would  do  good.  The  food  counteracts 
the  advantages  of  the  rest,  and  generates  heat.  A 
man  who  gives  such  a  mid-day  meal  and  then  places 
a  double-deck  sun-shade  on  the  top  of  his  horse's 
head  to  prevent  "  sunstroke,"  may  think  he  is  doing 
the  proper  thing ;  but  "  it  would  make  a  horse  laugh  " 
if  he  knew  what  the  thing  was  put  there  for ! 

MR.    plant's   testimony. 

Mr.  T.  J.  Plant,  at  present  assj_stant  Superintendent 
at  the  American  Express  Co.'s  Stables,  48th  Street 
and  Lexington  Avenue,  affirms  that  for  fourteen  years 
he  drove  express  teams,  feeding  his  horses  but  twice 
a  day.  "■  There  was  no  time  to  feed  at  noon,"  he  ex- 
plained. The  work  was  pretty  sharp  driving,  none 
of  our  wagons  were  light,  and  the  hours  were  long, 


88  HORSES: 

"  but  our  horses  kept  in  splendid  condition  all  the 
time." 

ANOTHER   CASE. 

Another  young  man,  driver  of  an  express  team 
(rather  an  "  unwilling  witness,"  since  he  "  didn't  be- 
lieve in  the  two-meal  plan,")  told  me  that  he  was  once 
connected  with  a  firm  using  over  thirty  horses  that, 
as  they  learned  subsequently,  were  cheated  out  of 
the  dinners  that  were  bargained  and  paid  for.  "  We 
never  could  get  one  o'  them  bosses  fat,"  said  he. 
"  They  always  looked  lank  during  the  day."  "  How 
were  they  '  on  the  muscle  '  ?  "  I  asked.  "  Well,  you 
bet  they  never  went  back  on  us  that  way.  They  al- 
ways acted  spirited,  and  could  pull  anything  they 
were  hitched  to!"  "Were  they  ever  sick?"  I  in- 
quired. "  No,  it  is  a  fact,  that  we  didn't  have  a  sick 
hoss  all  summer  long,  not  even  off  his  feed  for  a  day  !  "  ^ 
As  every  one  knows,  it  is  quite  unusual  for  that  num- 
ber of  horses  to  pass  an  entire  season  without  a  case 
of  sickness.  For  example :  At  the  stable  referred  to 
on  page  92,  I  asked,  "  Have  you  other  sick  horses  ?  " 
*'  Oh,  yes,  quite  a  number.  There  are  always  some, — 
colds,  coughs,  catarrhal  fevers,  off  their  feed,  etc."  To 
this  the  doctor  made  answer :  "  The  best  remedy  for 
a  horse  that  don't  want  to  eat  is  to  hitch  him  in  a 
clean  stall, — have  no  bedding,  even — and  let  him  wait 
till  he  will  eat  hay  sharp.  Then  go  slow  with  your 
feed ! " 

We  find,  from  visiting  a  large  number  of 


*  They  were  well  fed  morning  and  night  at  home. 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET. 


89 


FIRST-CLASS   STABLES, 

both  private  and  boarding — including  Mr.  Vander- 
bilt's,  Mr.  Bonner's,  and  Mr.  Work's,  that  it  is  the 
invariable  rule  to  feed  hay*  only  at  night, — generally 
at  5  or  6  o'clock,  and  from  6  to  8  lbs.,  according  to 
the  size  of  the  animal,  and  the  work :  the  harder  the 
work  the  less  hay,  usually. 

For  grain,  oats  is  the  standard  ;  in  fact  almost  the 
exclusive  feed.  The  daily  ration  is  about  the  same, 
nominally,  in  all  the  stables  visited,  viz. :  "  Nine  to 
twelve  quarts,  according  to  the  work."  But  in  al- 
most every  instance,  we  found  that  a  "  dose "  of 
some  kind,  once  or  twice,  generally  twice,  a  week  was 
deemed  necessary,  "  to  keep  'em  cleared  out,"  "  to 
cool  their  bowels,"  "  to  prevent  'em  from  getting 
clogged  up,"  '''■  or  else  they'd  get  constipated,"  etc., 
etc.,  proving,  as  it  seems  to  me,  conclusively,  that  the 
diet  exceeds  the  needs  of  the  organism,  or,  in  other 
words,  that  the  sound  old  physiological  mandate,  viz., 
*'  In  the  sweat  of  thy  brow  shalt  thou  eat  bread,"  is 
constantly  and  well-nigh  universally  violated ! 

THE   ETERNAL   MASH. 

True,  the  "  dose  "  referred  to  above  is  oftener  than 
otherwise  a  mash ;  but  what  is  a  ^'  mash  "  ?  Why, 
practically,  what  our  best  physiologfsts  and  hygienists 
are  now  sounding  the  alarm  against,  viz. :  unmasti- 
Gated  and  unmasticable  food !     At  this  time,  when 


*  Stage  and  railway  horses  are  fed  cut  hay  with  meal  three  times 
a  day.     We  believe  that  this  custom  might  be  improved  upon. 


90  HORSES: 

our  soundest  dietitians,  among  whom  Dr.  Oswald 
takes  first  rank,  are  warning  the  people  against  the 
soft-food-and-slops  nuisance  (more  especially  for  the 
sick  or  ailing),  and  pointing  to  the  better  fed  animals, 
as  the  horse,  for  example,  that  chews  the  dry  grain, 
and  thus  accomplishes  the  only  real  mastication  such 
as  the  starchy  foods  demand  on  pain  of  indigestion, — • 
surely  at  such  a  time  it  would  seem  unwise  in  the 
extreme  to  carry  this  most  unnatural  practice  into 
the  stable,  or  to  continue  it  if  already  there !  When 
a  horse  is  not  in  condition  to  take  a  natural  diet — i.e., 
to  chew  his  own  food  and  to  warm  and  moisten  it 
naturally — prepared  food  of  any  sort  will  do  him  harm 
and  not  good.  The  stomach  can  not  do  the  work  of 
the  mouth,  nor,  indeed,  its  own,  when  the  first  neglect 
has  been  suffered. 

AT   MR.   BONNER'S   STABLES 

we  ascertained  that  this  noted  horse  fancier's  animals, 
when  doing  fair  work,  received  nine  quarts  of  oats 
daily,  three  quarts  at  a  feed.  On  any  day,  or  succes- 
sion of  days,  that  an  animal  is  not  well-exercised,- the 
night  feed  of  oats  is  omitted.  The  total  feed  of  hay  is 
about  6  lbs.,  and  is  given  about  5  :  30  P.M.  The  grain 
follows  at  7  P.M. 

Mr.  Bonner's  horses  are  watered  before,  not  after 
eating. 

The  only  criticism  we  have  to  offer  in  this  connec- 
tion is,  that  the  fine  condition  of  these  animals  would 
be  maintained  with  less  inconvenience,  less  occasion 
for  special  care  during  "  working  hours  " — that  is,  dur- 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET. 


91 


tng  the  entire  day,  when  a  horse  is  Hable  to  be  called 
upon  at  .any  moment  for  a  sharp   drive — by  feeding 
only  morning  and  night.     Then  he  may  be  speeded 
at  any  hour  without  danger. 
While  at 

MR.    BELLINGER'S   STABLE 

a  boarder  drove  in,  just  from  the  Fleetwood  races, 
having  driven  his  mare  the  nine  miles  at  a  pretty 
sharp  pace.  The  hour  was  12:15  P.M.  "Give  her 
two  quarts  of  oats,"  said  he — "  no  more^ — and  let  her 
breathe  first.  No  water !  "  Now,  this  was  a  small 
feed,  of  course,  but  we  think  the  gentleman  made  a 
mistake,  since  he  directed  the  mare  to  be  ready  "  on 
the  floor  at  1:15"  (just  one  hour),  for  the  return 
drive  to  Fleetwood.  A  few  swallows  of  water  imme- 
diately, and  more  half  an  hour  later,  with  no  grain  at 
all,  would  surely  have  put  the  mare  in  the  best  pos- 
sible condition  for  any  amount  of  work  during  the 
afternoon. 

AT   MR.   FRANK   WORK'S   STABLE 

it  was  found  that  the  usual  winter  diet  was  about  six 
quarts  of  oats  daily,  which  is  less  by  three  quarts 
than  the  summer  feed.  Mr.  Curley,  the  polite  and 
efificient  head  man,  holds  very  sensible  views  upon 
feeding  :  "  In  summer,  the  horses  are  out  of  the  stable 
more,  do  a  good  deal  more  work,  sweat  more,  etc., 
and  require  more  food."  In  the  winter,  on  the  other 
hand,  with  light  work,  and  in  warm  stables,  there  is 
less  waste,  and,  of  course,  less  food  can  be  digested. 


92  HORSES: 

AT   SIXTH  AVENUE   HORSE-RAILROAD   STABLES. 

"  Twenty-one  pounds  mixed  feed  a  day  is  our  feed, 
in  summer;  in  winter,  more,""^  said  the  brusque, but 
polite  manager.  "  Fourteen  lbs.  oatmeal  and  7  lbs. 
hay.     In  winter,  we  use  corn  and  oats." 

THE   VETERINARY   PRACTICE   OF  TO-DAY 

corresponds  very  closely  to  the  medical  practice  of 
one  hundred  years  ago.  Then  bleeding  was  constantly 
resorted  to  in  fevers,  and,  indeed,  for  most  anything. 
There  are  still  some  doctors  who  practice  it,  but  only 
the  most  ignorant,  and  in  remote  districts.  But  to-day 
this  infamous  practice  is  current,  even  in  our  largest 
cities,  in  the  treatment  of  horses !  I  could  hardly 
have  credited  this  had  I  not  myself  seen  a  case  in  one 
of  the  largest  stables  in  New  York  City.  The  veteri- 
nary surgeon  in  question  is  in  regular  practice,  a  really 
bright  man,  and  under  proper  instruction  would  make 
his  mark  in  the  world.  Yet  I  witnessed  him  perform 
two  of  the  most  barbarous  operations  upon  a  foun- 
dered horse,  and  when  the  depleting  effects  were 
plainly  exhibited,  he  pointed  to  them  with  pride,  as 
being  "just  what  he  aimed  to  accomplish!  "  It  was 
just  what  he  no  doubt  did  accomplish  every  time. 
The  history  of  the  case,  fully  bearing  out  all  that  I 
have  said  about  "  soft  "  and  "  ill-conditioned  "  horses 
was  this:  The  horse  was  a  noble  young  fellow,  a 
green  one  from  the  West,  purchased  from  one  of  the 


*  These  horses,  unlike  those  in  private  stables,  work  as  many 
hours,  and  have  even  harder  work  in  winter  than  in  summer. 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET. 


93 


best-known  sale  stables  in  this  city.  Fat  as  butter,  he 
was  taken  to  his  new  home,  one  of  the  largest  and 
best  stables  in  New  York  City.  There  they  were 
afraid  to  put  him  directly  at  steady  work,  but  they  were 
not  afraid  to  feed  him  !  Although  designing  to  feed 
rather  light  as  compared  with  their  old,  hard-working 
horses,  they  still  managed  to  founder  him  with  food. 
The  veterinary  was  called  in  (from  the  sale  stable), 
and  I  witnessed  the  treatment.  With  every  feeling 
of  respect  for  the  gentleman's  good  intentions  and 
his  more  than  average  natural  ability,  combined  with 
a  pleasing  manner,  yet  had  the  law  and  the  customs 
of  the  country  permitted,  I  would  have  arrested  him 
for  cruelty  to  animals.  Aye,  I  would  have  fought 
then  and  there  to  prevent  the  abuse  I  witnessed. 
First,  he  lanced  both  arms,  from  which  a  smart  fount- 
ain of  the  best  blood  the  poor  fellow  had  poured 
out  in  rapid  streams  for  a  sufficient  time  to  fill,  ac- 
cording to  my  best  judgment,  a  three-quart  pail  from 
each  wound.  The  professor  next  made  an  incision 
in  the  skin  near  the  top  of  the  shoulder-blade,  and 
then  proceeded  to  raise  the  skin  by  pinching  each 
side  of  the  slit,  and  lifting  the  skin  so  as  to  cause  the 
space  to  fill  with  air,  which  mechanically-raised  blister 
he  pressed  along  downward  and  forward,  following 
with  another  and  another,  until  some  scores  of  such 
had  inflated  the  whole  left  breast,  and  up  the  shoulder 
toward  the  slit.  Then  he  treated  the  other  side  in 
the  same  manner.  There  was  then  a  complete  blister 
over  the  entire  chest  and  far  up  the  shoulders ;  and 
all    this   as   a    "  counter-irritant ! "     Soon,    from    the 


C>4  HORSES: 

effects  of  the  bleeding,  the  poor  dumb  creature  began 
to  sweat.  First  a  few  drops  oozed  out,  and  dropped 
down  from  between  the  hind  legs,  then  all  along  the 
belly,  then  a  shower,  whilst  the  trembling  and  work- 
ing within  and  about  the  flank  and  abdomen  were 
enough  to  indicate  the  condition  of  suffering.  He 
was  placed  in  a  box  stall,  where  he  immediately  laid 
down.  The  eyes,  which  were  bright  when  he  was  led 
out,  were  now  dim.  I  stroked  his  head,  and  he  turned 
it  toward  me  as  if  he  knew,  and  wished  to  attest  his 
appreciation  of  my  feelings  toward  him.  I  left  him 
when  the  poisoning  began.  As  if  mashing,  purging, 
bleeding,  and  blistering  were  not  enough !  No,  not 
enough !  He  must  have  some  aconite  thrust  down 
his  throat.  The  tub  of  cold  water  to  stand  in  was 
the  only  really  rational  feature  of  the  treatment  in 
this  case. 

I  have  elsewhere  given  the  general  line  of  treat- 
ment for  founder.  I  will  conclude  this  by  stating 
what  should  have  been  omitted  in  this  treatment : 
He  should  not  have  been  fed  to  make  blood  to  be  let 
out  by  the  pailful.  If  not  fed  the  purging  would  not 
have  even  seemed  necessary.  If  he  had  not  had 
mashes  he  would  have  had  less  fever  (his  tempera- 
ture was  loi  J'^  F.),  and  under  hygienic  treatment  the 
fever  would  soon  have  left  him  altogether.  Every- 
thing, except  the  tub  of  cold  water  for  the  feet,  that 
was  done  was  so  much  to  the  bad.  Fifty  years  hence 
a  veterinarian  who  should  attempt  to  abuse  a  horse 
in  the  manner  I  have  described  would — not  be  shot  at 
sight,  because  the  world  is  steadily  becoming  more 


Joe  Bunker,  by  George  Wilkes.      Record,  2:19^.     Reduced frotn  the  Sportsmatt, 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  95 

charitable  as  it  grows  more  enlightened,  and  so  more 
dispassionate  in  its  treatment  of  the  ignorant  or  vic- 
ious ;  but  such  a  man  would  be  prosecuted  for  mal- 
practice and  turned  out  of  the  profession.  Yet,  to- 
day, I  am  forced  to  believe  that  this  gentleman  fairly 
represents  the  profession.  Had  this  horse,  fat  as  he 
was,  been  put,  as  soon  as  purchased,  to  steady  work, 
and  on  a  plain,  natural  diet,  restricted  to  two  meals 
and  to  an  amount,  altogether,  that  would  have  sus- 
tained him  while  the  soft  fat  was  being  absorbed  and 
cast  off,  and  the  muscles  being  made  clean  and  full ; 
had  he  been  worked  every  day  from  the  beginning, 
not  beyond,  but  up  to  his  strength,  the  latter  would 
have  increased  every  day  and  he  would  have  been 
made  over  new,  just  as  in  the  case  described  on  page 
24,  without  the  least  danger  of  founder. 

Of  course  it  is  not  to  be  imagined  that  a  purge,  a 
blister,  the  loss  of  a  few  quarts  of  blood,  and  the  ad- 
ministration of  a  15-drop  dose  of  aconite — however 
depleting,  however  cruel — would  end  the  life  of  a 
young  horse  that  was  *'  fit  to  survive !  "  Far  from  it. 
And  so,  three  days  afterward,  this  horse  had  appar- 
ently made  good  his  loss.  But  it  was  a  loss,  all  the 
same ;  a  loss  without  the  shadow  of  a  gain,  unless  we 
put  a  value  on  the  amusement  afforded  to  the  igno- 
rant stable  boys,  and  their  wonder  at  the  marvelous 
skill  displayed  by  the  veterinary  surgeon,  especially 
in  making  the  patient  full-breasted  with  an  air- 
blister  ! 


96 


HORSES: 


EATING  THE   BEDDING 


is  a  very  common  complaint  in  all  stables  where  any 
food  substance  is  used  for  bedding.  Few  horses  are 
sufficiently  aristocratic  to  permit  even  musty  hay  or 
straw  to  lie  within  reach  uneaten,  unless  the  appetite 
has  become  less  than  perfect  from  excess.  The  ''  muz- 
zle" has  its  uses  in  some  of  the  finest  horse  palaces. 
It  should  be  used  upon  occasion ;  but  it  is  better  to 
use  bedding  that  is  even  less  tempting  than  hay  or 
straw  that  smells  as  bad  as  some  brands  of  cheese 
that  are  in  favor  with  certain  gormands. 


RULES   THAT   MAY   BE   SAFELY   TRIED. 

1.  The  diet  for  a  road  horse  of  900  to  1,000  lbs. 
weight,  averaging  thirty  miles,  to  wagon,  every  day 
in  the  week,  and  often  pushed  hard  fifty  to  sixty  miles 
or  more  in  a  day,  would  be  6  lbs.  of  hay  and  9  qts. 
of  oats,  or,  say,  6  to  12  qts.,  according  to  his  work. 
If  he  be  called  on  for  fifty  to  sixty  miles  every  day 
for  any  length  of  time,  he  might  require  14  to  16 
qts.  of  oats  every  day,  with  only  a  very  small  bunch 
of  hay,  say  4  to  6  lbs.  For  a  1,500  lb.  horse,  at 
moderate,  but  steady  work,  ten  hours  a  day,  six  days 
in  the  week,  10  lbs.  of  hay  and  8  qts.  of  oats  (or  4  qts. 
corn  and  2  qts.  of  oats)  would  probably  be  sufficient 
(see  pages  65,  66,  6^,  81,  82,  83). 

2.  Always  increase  the  diet  on  the  day  following 
the  extra  hard  drive — never  on  the  day  preceding, 
nor  the  very  day :  it  is  to-day  s  extra  waste  of  tissue 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET.  gy 

that  furnishes  the  digestive  fluids  for  extra  grain  to- 
viorrozv. 

3.  The  hay  ration  should  not  be  increased  with  in- 
creased labor — only  the  grain.  Indeed,  in  case  of  ex- 
traordinary exertion,  covering  several  days  in  succes- 
sion, especially  when  the  usual  hay  ration  is  a  heavy 
one,  the  hay  may  be,  and  often  with  advantage, 
lessened. 

4.  Night  Feed. — Feed  all  the  hay  at  night,  say  at  6 
o'clock  for  horses  not  regularly  worked  until  that 
hour  or  later,  or  feed  hay  an  hour  after  coming  to 
stable.  Meantime  offer  water  before  the  hay.  In  an- 
other hour  feed  the  grain.  If  thirsty  after  eating 
hay,  the  horse  should  have  a  little  water,  then  grain. 
After  this  the  horse  will  satisfy  his  appetite  with  the 
balance  of  the  hay,  lie  down  and  sleep  the  sleep  of  the 
just. 

5.  It  is  always  safe  to  try  two  meals  a  day,  and  in 
proportion  as  a  horse's  work  is  constant  and  severe 
throughout  the  day  this  system  is  rendered  more  and 
more  essential,  for  this  reason,  viz. :  the  horse  of  light 
work  will  have  ample  time  to  digest  a  mid-day  lunch 
and  it  is  a  matter  of  comparative  indifference  whether 
his  proper  allowance  is  divided  into  two  or  three  por- 
tions. But  in  the  case  first  supposed,  a  middle  meal 
is  impossible  without  a  violation  of  the  rule  which 
most  persons  agree  in  considering  desirable,  and 
which  we  hold  to  be  imperative,  viz. :  the  rule  relat- 
ing to  rest  before  and  after  eating. 

6.  Referring  to  rule  i,  it  may  be  remarked  that,  in 
proportion  as  the  work  is  lessened,  the  hay  ration 

5 


98  HORSES: 

may  be  Increased  and  the  grain  lessened  ;  or,  stra^v 
used,  in  part,  in  place  of  hay ;  or,  again,  meal  with 
the  cob  ground  in. 

7.  If  200  miles  of  sharp  roading,  weekly,  demand  9 
qts.  of  oats  a  day,  4  qts.  would  be  ample  for  a  horse 
jogging  ten  miles  a  day.  If  the  latter  have  an  extra 
day's  work  of,  say,  twenty-five  to  forty  miles,  he 
might  be  benefited  by,  say,  4  qts.  of  oats  extra  on  the 
succeeding  day.  If  fat,  no  increase  would  be  de- 
manded ;  he  would  be  better  without. 

8.  Thirst. — Of  the  two  appetites,  thirst  Is  the  least 
apt  to  be  abnormal,  and  hence  the  safest  to  satisfy. 
Except  when  heated,  and  speaking  generally,  a  horse 
should  drink  as  often  and  as  much  as  he  wants.  If 
not  overfed  he  will  not  be  overthirsty.  However 
hot,  a  little  water  should  always  be  allowed ;  then, 
after  a  fair  interval,  more,  and,  at  last,  all  he  wants. 
No  demand  is  so  imperative,  none  causes  so  much 
pain  and  danger  from  being  denied,  as  the  demand 
for  liquid  food — water.  A  horse  would  continue  to 
live,  and  without  suffering  pain,  for  many  days  with- 
out solid  food,  but  not  without  drink. 

9.  Constipation — i.  e.,  the  accumulation  of  foecal 
matters,  that  harden  and  are  passed  with  difficulty — 
indicates  indigestion.  It  may  arise  from  (i)  deficient 
exercise,  as  relates  to  quantity  of  food,  or  (2)  a  viola- 
tion of  the  rule  we  have  so  urgently  put  forth  ;  that 
is,  the  horse  may  have  been  often  driven  on  a  ''  full 
belly,"  or  fed  too  soon  after  his  drive. 

10.  A  horse  that  was  being  underfed,  might  have 
very  little  pass  his  bowels — nothing,  if  he  was  being 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET.  ^ 

starved — but  this  Is  not  what  is  meant  by  "  constipa- 
tion."  If  persistently  underfed,  he  will  steadily  fall 
off  in  weight — emaciate — never  remain  at  a  stand- 
still. Mr.  John  Griscomb,  of  Chicago  (outdoing  Dr. 
Tanner  the  year  after  the  latter's  fast),  during  his 
forty-five  days'  fast,  had  no  passage  at  the  bowels  at 
all.  He  declined  in  weight  at  the  rate  of  one  and 
one-fourth  pounds  a  day  ;  that  is,  he  consumed  that 
amount  of  his  own  flesh.  He  suffered  no  pain,  felt 
no  weakness,  was  quite  active  every  day.  He  drank 
about  one  and  one-half  quarts  of  water  daily. 

11.  Never  ''dose"  a  horse,  with  medicine,  or 
mashes,  hot  or  cold,  to  get  the  fever  out  of  him,  nor 
for  any  special  purpose,  whatever. 

12.  If  constipated^  give  him  more  work  or  less  feed ; 
or  correct  the  manner  of  feeding,  if  wrong. 

13.  If  he  ''scours,"  (always  a  symptom  of  indiges- 
tion), skip  a  meal,  or  two  if  necessary,  allowing  all  the 
drink  he  wants.  This  is  always  safe  on  an  empty 
stomach  and  when  not  heated  with  work. 

14.  li  feverish y  allow  plenty  of  water,  plenty  of  air, 
but  no  food — none  at  all. 

15.  "  If  off  his  feed,  let  starvation  be  the  cure,"  to 
use  the  language  of  a  veteran.  "  Any  creature  will 
come  to  his  appetite  sooner,  and  with  less  loss  of 
flesh,  by  this  means,"  he  continues,  "  than  by  any  sort 
of  medication  or  nursing." 

HOW   TO   ARRANGE   THE   CHECK-REIN. 

If  horses  could  only  talk,  and  then  if  all  men  could 
feel,  few  check-reins  would  be  used.     See  that  hand- 


100  HORSES: 

some  fellow — how  he  tries  to  ease  an  aching  neck! 
Hitch,  hitch,  hitch,  first  to  one  side,  then  the  other ; 
then  up  he  tosses  his  head  for  a  change,  then  sharp 
down  upon  the  bit.  He  is  talking,  and  every 
thoughtful  observer  knows  that  the  noble  creat- 
ure is  saying,  "  Will  you  please  unhook  the 
check-rein?"  There,  now,  watch  him.  How  he 
stretches  out  his  neck  to  get  the  cramps  out  of  it ! 
How  good  it  feels.  He  rubs  his  face  against  you. 
It  is  his  way  of  saying,  "  Thank  you — no  one  knows, 
unless  he  has  himself  been  strung  up  that  way,  how 
very  painful  it  becomes ! "  Try  it,  my  friend,  and 
see  how  it  is  yourself,  to  use  a  current  phrase. 
*'  Don't  check  your  horses  very  high  ?  "  But  why  at 
all  ?  Keep  them  in  fine  condition,  so  that  they  will 
feel  good  all  the  time  and  they  will  carry  their  heads 
right — at  least  naturally.  Some  horses  are  naturally 
high-headed.  But  you  can't  make  one  so  by  string- 
ing him  up.  Every  one  can  tell  whether  a  horse  is 
strung  up  by  the  bit ;  and  every  kind-hearted  person 
pities  him,  if  he  is.    Oh,  take  it  off — don't  wait  a  day. 

A  WORD   ABOUT  THE   BLINDERS. 

Take  off  the  blinders,  too ;  give  a  horse  his  eyes 
and  he  gets  accustomed  to  all  manner  of  sights  and 
nothing  troubles  him.  Withhold  them  and,  half 
blind,  he  is  constantly  nervous — fearful  of  something 
that  would  not  disturb  him  in  the  least  if  he  could 
see  it.  That  is,  if  he  is  a  nervous  fellow  ;  if  not,  then 
there  is  no  excuse  for  the  blinders.* 

*  It  should  be  remarked,  however,  that  all  who  contemplate  dispensing  with  the 
use  of  blinders  on  their  horses,  will  do  well  to  operate  very  cautiously  at  first.  Even 
a  very  gentle,  but  high-spinted  animal,  utterly  unused  to  the  appearance  of  the 
carriage  looming  up  in  the  rear,  might  become  terribly  frightened  (and  even  frenzied, 
after  "  making  a  break"),  and  the  experiment  might  result  disastrously.  A  case 
of  this  kind  has  just  come  to  my  attention. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  PART  IL 


The  author  regrets  his  inability  to  add  his  own  testi- 
mony to  that  of  Sir  Geo.  W.  Cox,  first  printed  in  this 
country  in  the  Popular  Science  Mojit/ily,  feeling,  indeed, 
a  sense  of  shame,  not  because  anything  he  might  say 
could  add  one  whit  of  weight  to  what  is  so  well  put 
forth  (and  so  ably  commented  upon  by  Col.  Weld), 
but,  to  think  that  he  has  up  to  the  present  time  made 
one  of  the  million  who  so  cruelly,  constantly,  thought- 
lessly, and  needlessly  abused  this  noblest  of  animals, 
the  horse !  The  abuse  is  rendered  a  thousand-fold 
worse  in  that,  generally  speaking,  the  poor  creatures 
are  at  the  mercy  of  a  class — I  had  almost  said  a  race 
— of  people  as  willful  as  they  are  ignorant — the  class 
of  whom  it  was  said  by  an  exceptional  one  of  the 
fraternity :  "  Generally,  when  there  is  a  boy  in  the 
family  who  is  too  big  a  fool  for  anything  else,  his 
father  makes  a  blacksmith  of  him  !  " 

C.  E.  P. 


(lOl) 


HORSES  AND  THEIR  FEET. 

BY  SIR   GEO.   W.   COX. 

If  we  say  that  of  all  brute  animals  none  is  more 
valuable  to  man  than  the  horse,  and  that  the  neglect 
of  any  means  which  may  promote  and  ensure  his 
welfare  and  efficiency  is  a  blunder  not  easily  distin- 
guishable from  crime,  we  may  fairly  be  charged  with 
uttering  truisms.  If  we  urge  that  this  value  is  not 
recognized  as  it  should  be,  and  that  this  neglect  is 
miserably  common,  we  may  still  be  accused  of  wasting 
breath  on  statements  which  no  one  would  think  of 
calling  into  question.  Every  one,  we  may  be  told, 
is  well  aware  that  the  management  of  horses  is  very 
faulty,  that  their  lives  are  shortened  by  the  ignorance 
of  those  who  have  charge  of  them  rather  than  by 
any  wanton  cruelty,  and  that  they  are  rendered  prac- 
tically useless  long  before  their  existence  is  brought 
to  an  end.  To  the  plea  that  the  same,  or  much  the 
same,  things  may  be  said  of  m^n  as  of  horses,  we 
may  answer  that  the  blame  must  be  apportioned  to 
the  degree  of  carelessness  with  which  evils  affecting 
either  men  or  horses  are  allowed  to  go  on  unchecked 
or  are  foolishly  dealt  with  ;  nor  can  failures  to  im- 
prove the  condition  of  mankind  furnish  a  reason  for 

(103) 


104  HORSES: 

refusing  to  do  what  may  improve  the  condition  of 
horses.  Our  duty  ought  to  be  discharged  at  all  costs 
and  under  all  circumstances  ;  but  a  man  must  have 
risen  far  above  the  average  of  his  fellows  if  he  feels 
no  relief  when  his  duty  coincides  with  his  interest. 
Something  is  gained  by  the  mere  pointing  out  of  this 
agreement,  wherever  it  exists  ;  and  we  must  remem- 
ber that,  if  a  vast  amount  of  human  wretchedness  is 
the  direct  result  of  willful  and  wanton  perversity,  we 
can  meet  with  no  such  resistance  on  the  part  of  brute 
beasts.  With  regard  to  these  we  have  only  to  see 
what  the  evils  are ;  and  the  blame  is  ours,  and  ours 
alone,  if  we  fail  to  apply  the  remedy,  when  the 
remedy,  if  applied,  must  be  successful.  In  the  case 
of  the  horse,  unhappily,  we  do  not  realize  the  extent 
of  the  mischief,  and  seldom,  perhaps  never,  fix  our 
minds  on  its  cause  or  causes.  Yet  the  facts,  even 
when  reduced  within  limits  which  none  will  venture 
to  dispute,  are  sufficiently  startling. 

The  number  of  horses  in  the  United  Kingdom  has 
been  estimated  at  rather  more  than  two  millions 
and  a  quarter,  and  their  average  value  can  scarce- 
ly be  set  down  at  less  than  ^^30.  Their  collect- 
ive value,  therefore,  falls  little  short  of  sixty-eight 
million  sterling.  That  the  nation  incurs  a  loss  if  this 
sum  is  spent  quicker  than  it  needs  to  be  is  a  self-evi- 
dent proposition;  that  it  is  so  spent  is  certain,  if 
horses  on  an  average  become  useless  at  a  time  when 
they  ought  still  to  be  in  full  vigor.  On  this  point 
few  will  be  disposed  to  challenge  the  verdict  of  Mr. 
W.    Douglas,    late    veterinary    surgeon    in    the    lOth 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET. 


105 


Hussars,  who  tells  us  that  a  horse  should  live  from 
thirty-five  to  forty  years,  and  live  actively  and  usefully 
during  three-fourths  of  this  period.  "  All  author- 
ities," he  says,  "  now  admit  that  animals  should  live 
five  times  as  long  as  it  takes  them  to  reach  maturity. 
A  dog,  which  is  at  its  full  growth  when  between  two 
and  three  years^  old,  is  very  aged  at  twelve  years.. 
Horses  do  not,  unless  their  growth  is  forced,  reach 
their  full  prime  until  they  are  seven  or  eight  years 
old,  which  by  the  same  law  leaves  them  to  live  some 
thirty  years  longer.  When  these  facts  are  kept  in 
mind,  together  with  these  other  facts  that  three- 
fourths  of  our  horses  die  or  are  destroyed  under 
twelve  years  old,  that  horses  are  termed  aged  at  six  " 
[he  should  have  said  eight],  "old  at  ten,  very  old 
when  double  that  number  of  years,  and  that  few  of 
them  but  are  laid  up  from  work  a  dozen  times  a  year, 
....  the  viciousness  of  a  system  which  entails  such 
misery  and  destruction  of  life  can  not  be  too  strongly 
commented  upon."  If  we  take  the  age  of  three 
years  as  that  at  which  horses  begin  to  work,  and 
twelve  as  that  at  which  they  are  worn  out,  it  follows 
that  the  period  of  their  efficiency  is  shorter  by  at 
least  fourteen  years  than  it  should  be.  In  other 
words,  the  nation  has  to  buy  three  horses  when  it 
ought  to  buy  only  one,  and  thus  upwards  of  ^200,000,- 
000  are  spent  every  twenty-one  years  in  the  purchase 
of  horses  when  ;^68,ooo,OQQ  ought  to  suffice.  The 
loss,  therefore,  to  the  nation  is  at  least  ii"  135,000,000 
in  twenty-one  years. 

If  this  were  all,  the  question  would  surely  be  most 
5* 


Io6  HORSES: 

serious ;  but  it  is  not  all.  Unless  the  facts  thus  fat 
stated  can  be  set  aside,  our  horses  work  on  the  aver- 
age seven  or  eight  years  ;  but  how  do  they  work  ? 
The  collective  experience  of  the  country  will  answer 
that  the  work  is  done  at  the  cost  of  frequent  inter- 
ruption, and  with  an  amount  of  discomfort  and  pain 
which  often  becomes  agony.  It  is  easy  to  say  that 
much  of  the  evil  must  be  laid  to  the  charge  of 
grooms  and  stable-men;  and  perhaps  the  censures 
dealt  out  to  these  men  are  not  undeserved.  They 
are,  at  least,  outspoken.  In  the  last  century  Lord 
Pembroke  spoke  of  grooms  as  being  "  generally  the 
worst  informed  of  all  persons  living."  "  No  other  serv- 
ant," says  Mr.  Mayhew,  "possesses  such  power,  and 
no  domestic  more  abuses  his  position.  It  is  impossi- 
ble to  amend  the  regulation  of  any  modern  stable 
without  removing  some  of  this  calling,  or  overthrow- 
ing some  of  the  abuses  with  a  perpetuation  of  which 
the  stable  servant  is  directly  involved."  In  this  state 
of  things  the  most  humane  of  masters  becomes,  he 
adds,  an  unconscious  tyrant  to  the  brute  which  serves 
him  so  well.  It  is  a  miserable  fact  that  grooms  on 
their  own  responsibility  are  in  the  habit  of  adminis- 
tering secretly  to  horses  medicines  the  cost  of  which 
they  pay  themselves.  It  may  fairly  be  said  that  in 
every  case  the  remedy  is  ill-judged,  and  creates  worse 
mischief  than  that  which  it  is  designed  to  remove. 
Among  these  medicines  arsenic,  antimony,  and  niter 
seem  to  be  the  favorites,  but  the  list  of  remedies  is 
not  ended  with  these.  The  experience  of  ages,  if  it 
has  failed  to  do  more,  has  impressed  on  them  the  fact 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET. 


107 


that  the  chief  source  of  the  sufferings  of  horses  is  to  be 
found  in  the  foot.  The  suspicion  that  the  foot  is  not 
treated  rightly  by  the  traditionary  method  never 
enters  their  minds ;  and  they  deal  with  the  limb  not 
from  a  knowledge  of  its  anatomy,  structure,  and  pur- 
pose, but  in  accordance  with  the  popular  notions, 
which  are,  in  plain  speech,  outrageously  absurd.  In 
profound  ignorance  that  the  hoof  is  porous,  they 
apply  hoof-ointments,  which  answer  to  cement  plas- 
tered on  a  wall.  If  these  were  in  constant  use,  Mr. 
Douglas  asserts  emphatically  that  not  a  morsel  of 
sound  horn  would  remain  at  the  end  of  six  months, 
on  the  horses,  and  shoeing  would  become  an  impossi- 
bility. If  the  groom  be  told  that  he  is  thus  prevent- 
ing the  internal  moisture  from  reaching  the  outer 
surface  and  the  air  from  circulating  inwards,  his  only 
answer  is  an  incredulous  laugh.  His  conviction  is 
that  the  hoof  should  not  come  into  contact  with  hard 
material,  and  that  the  horse  can  be  best  fitted  for  his 
work  by  having  his  feet  smeared  with  tar,  beeswax,  or 
tallow,  and  by  resting  always  on  a  heap  of  litter  in 
the  stable.  It  would  be  of  little  use  to  cite  Lord 
Pembroke  as  declaring  that  '■'■  the  constant  use  of 
litter  makes  the  feet  tender  and  causes  swelled  legs ; 
moreover,  it  renders  the  animal  delicate.  Swelled 
legs  may  be  frequently  reduced  to  their  proper  natural 
size  by  taking  away  the  litter  only,  which,  in  some 
stables,  w^iere  ignorant  grooms  and  farriers  govern, 
would  be  a  great  saving  of  bleeding  and  physic, 
besides  straw."  "  I  have  seen,"  he  adds,  "  by  repeated 
experiments,  legs  swell  and  unswell  by  leaving  litter 


I08  HORSES: 

or  taking  it  away,  like  mercury  in  a  weather-glass  '*; 
and  his  experience  is  confirmed  by  the  general  con- 
dition of  troopers'  horses  in  contrast  with  those 
of  their  officers,  which  are  bedded  down  all  day. 

But  if  there  are  evils  for  which  grooms  are,  in  large 
measure,  directly  responsible,  and  the  abolition  of 
which  they  would  beyond  doubt  stoutly  resist,  there 
are  others  in  which  masters  are  not  less  blameworthy 
than  their  men,  and  from  which  the  public  generally, 
as  well  as  the  animals,  are  constant  sufferers.  The 
work  of  the  horse  is  that  of  dragging  and  carrying, 
and  the  aim  of  the  owner  should  be  the  accomplish- 
ment of  this  work  with  the  utmost  possible  sureness 
and  with  the  fewest  accidents.  Serious  and  fatal  in- 
juries may  be  the  result  of  stumblings  and  slippings, 
not  less  than  of  actual  falls ;  and  the  premature  wear- 
ing out  of  horses  by  excessive  straining  of  their 
sinews  and  muscles  is  a  direct  pecuniary  loss  to  the 
owners,  although  few  of  them  seem  to  realize  the 
true  significance  of  the  fact.  These  evils  are  to  be 
seen  everywhere,  and  they  affect  horses  kept  for  the 
purpose  of  pleasure  and  ostentation  almost  as  much 
as  those  which  spend  their  days  in  a  round  of  monot- 
onous drudgery.  A  horse  should  not  be  obliged  to 
work  in  going  down  a  hill,  but,  in  fact,  they  are  sub- 
ject to  the  severest  strain  just  when  they  ought  to 
have  none,  if  they  are  harnessed  to  springless  carts 
or  wagons  without  brakes.  Farm  horses  suffer  with 
terrible  severity  from  this  cause,  but  the  horses  used 
in  carrying-trades  and  by  railway  companies  undergo 
a  more  cruel  ordeal.     Improvements  in  the  brake- 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  109 

power  of  wagons  used  on  roads,  which  might  greatly 
lessen  the  mischief,  are  not  made,  and  hence  the 
horses  are  seldom  free  from  diseases  more  or  less  serious 
/vhich  may  be  traced  directly  to  constant  slipping  and 
shaking  over  slippery  pavements.  Among  ignorant 
owners,  blind  to  their  own  interests,  there  is  an 
impression  that  "  the  work  which  kills  one  horse  will 
bring  in  money  enough  to  buy  another  ";  but  expe- 
rience has  sufficiently  shown  the  fallacy  of  this  theory, 
whether  the  overtaxed  slave  be  a  horse  or  a  human 
being.  In  towns  and  cities,  the  roads  are  and  must 
be  paved,  and  the  pavings  at  present  are  variously  of 
stone,  wood,  or  asphalt,  where  the  road  is  not  macad- 
amized. These  pavements  have,  it  would  seem,  each 
its  own  peculiar  dangers  for  the  horses  which  use  them, 
and  each  has  thus  become  a  fruitful  source  of  contro- 
versy. If  any  one  method  be  likely  to  supersede  the 
rest,  the  victory  will  probably  be  for  the  asphalt ;  but 
horses  are  found  to  slip  seriously  upon  it,  and  the 
falls  so  caused  are,  we  are  told,  of  a  graver  kind  than 
those  on  pavements  of  other  sorts.  All  the  propri- 
etors of  cabs,  omnibuses,  and  railway  vans  have,  it  is 
said,  protested  in  a  body  against  its  use,  but  scarcely, 
it  would  seem,  to  good  purpose.  Fresh  contracts 
have  been  signed  for  pavements  of  asphalt,  and  others 
will  probably  follow.  In  the  meanwhile  horses  have 
to  pass,  perhaps  in  a  single  morning,  from  macadam- 
ized roads  to  roads  paved  with  asphalt,  wood,  or 
stone — in  other  words,  over  roads  made  of  widely 
different  materials,  which  call  in  each  case  for  a  differ- 
ent action  of  the  foot.     On  the  other  hand  the  hoof 


no  HORSES: 

is  supposed  to  be  protected  by  shoes,  the  varieties  of 
which  are  legion ;  and  thus  the  controversy  has  been 
brought  to  a  singular  issue.  On  one  side  it  is  urged 
that  there  should  be  a  uniform  system  of  paving 
enforced  on  all  towns,  so  that  horses  should  no  longer 
pass  from  a  less  slippery  road  to  one  that  is  more  slip- 
pery; on  the  other  the  contention  is  that  the  true 
remedy  lies  not  in  uniformity  of  paving,  but  in  the 
discovery  of  a  shoe  which  shall  effectually  prevent 
the  horse  from  slipping  anywhere.  The  former  alter- 
native is  visionary  ;  the  latter  has  been,  and  perhaps 
it  may  be  said,  still  is,  the  object  aimed  at  by  some 
who  have  a  thorough  acquaintance  with  the  structure 
of  the  horse,  and  the  most  disinterested  wish  to  pro- 
mote his  welfare.  We  may,  therefore,  safely  pay  no 
heed  to  the  lamentations  of  those  who  believe  that 
*'  the  difificulty  in  riding  or  driving  through  the  Lon- 
don streets  arises  from  the  variety  of  the  pavements 
in  use,"  and  that  "  if  we  had  A  uniform  kind  of  pave- 
ment, a  shoe  for  universal  use  would  be  quickly 
invented."  We  may  please  ourselves  with  fancying 
that  "  the  ingenuity  of  man  would  devise  horseshoes 
to  travel  over  glass,  were  glass  the  only  pavement  in 
use."  The  main  question  is,  whether  mankind  after 
all  has  not  been  forestalled  in  this  invention  ;  and  it 
is  absolutely  certain  that  those  who  have  labored 
most  conscientiously  to  improve  the  shoeing  of  horses, 
have  striven  especially  to  secure  for  them  the  power 
of  moving  safely  over  materials  of  many  kinds. 
These  men  have  been  convinced  that  the  traditional 
methods  overload  the  foot  of  the  horse  with    iron, 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET.  1 1 1 

and  that  the  modes  of  fastening  on  this  iron  interfere 
with,  if  not  altogether  obstruct,  the  processes  of 
nature.  The  efforts  of  all  have  been  directed  toward 
diminishing  the  weight  of  iron,  and  this  has  led  them 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  less  the  natural  foot  is  in- 
terfered with  the  better.  M.  la  Fosse  thus  inferred 
that  one-half  of  the  ordinary  shoe  was  unnecessary,  and 
that  nothing  more  was  needed  than  a  tip  on  the  front 
half  of  the  foot.  Unfortunately  he  directed  that  the 
heel  should  be  pared,  thus  making  it  weaker,  and  he 
fastened  on  his  tip,  which  had  about  six  inches  of 
iron  in  its  entire  length,  with  eight  nails.  He  v/as 
thus  "  inserting  wedges,  amounting  in  the  aggregate 
to  from  one  to  one  and  a  half  inches  in  thickness,  in 
six  inches  of  horn,  thus  squeezing  it  into  the  space  of 
five  or  even  four  inches,  and  killing  it  from  the 
clenches  downwards  and  outwards."  It  is  strange  that 
veterinary  surgeons,  who  have  clearly  comprehended 
the  mischief  thus  caused,  have  failed  to  draw  the 
logical  inference  from  their  premises.  Mr.  Douglas 
was  aware  that  the  crust  of  the  horse's  foot  re- 
sembles in  its  natural  state  a  number  of  small  tubes, 
bound  together  by  a  hardened,  glue-like  substance, 
and  he  compares  it  to  a  mitrailleuse  gun  with  its  many 
barrels  soldered  together.  By  his  way  of  nailing,  M. 
la  Fosse  was  reducing  the  size  of  ^ach  tube  by  one- 
sixth,  or  rather  was  entirely  closing  those  nearest  the 
nails,  and  compressing  those  that  lie  half-way  between 
each  pair  of  nails.  He  was,  in  this  respect,  aggravat- 
ing the  mischief  of  the  ordinary  shoe,  which  com- 
monly has  seven  nails,  and  this  ensured  dryness  and 


112  HORSES: 

brittleness  of  hoof.  But  the  circulation  of  fluid 
through  the  pores  of  the  hoof  is  not  the  only  natural 
process  which  modern  shoeing  interferes  with.  In 
his  work  on  the  horse's  foot,  Mr.  Miles  illustrates  the 
expansion  and  contraction,  which  always  take  place 
in  its  natural  state  when  it  is  set  down  on  and  lifted 
from  the  ground.  The  subject  was  a  horse  nine  years 
old,  which  had  the  shoe  removed  for  the  purpose  of 
the  experiment.  ''  The  unshod  foot  was  lifted  up, 
and  its  contour  traced  with  the  greatest  precision  on 
a  piece  of  board  covered  with  paper.  A  similar 
board  was  then  laid  on  the  ground,  the  same  foot  was 
then  placed  upon  it,  and  the  opposite  foot  held  up 
whilst  it  was  again  traced.  The  result  was  that  it  had 
expanded  one-eighth  part  of  an  inch  at  the  heel  and 
quarters."  Over  two  inches  on  each  side  of  the  center 
of  the  toe  no  expansion  had  taken  place,  the  tracings 
showing  that  the  expansion  was  only  lateral.  It 
would  follow  that  a  shoe  intended  to  give  full  play  to 
this  process  must  be  confined  to  the  part  where  no 
expansion  takes  place ;  but  Mr.  Miles  adhered  to  the 
form  of  the  ordinary  shoe,  although  he  reduced  to 
three  the  number  of  nails  by  which  it  was  fastened. 
The  object  of  this  process  of  expansion  and  contrac- 
tion is  to  give  the  animal  a  firmer  hold  on  the  soil, 
and  to  enable  him,  where  this  is  thick,  slimy,  or  sticky, 
to  withdraw  the  foot  easily  on  contraction.  ~  This 
purpose  is  necessarily  defeated  when  the  whole  foot 
is  armed  with  iron. 

No  one  has  condemned  the  mischievous  working  of 
the  existing  system  more  strongly  than  Mr.  Mayhew, 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  113 

who  refuses  to  allow  that  the  body  of  the  horse  was 
made  stronger  than  his  legs  and  feet,  and  holds  that 
these,  if  left  to  themselves,  must  be  adequate  to  the 
tasks  imposed  on  them.  In  his  beliei^ ''  it  is  amongst 
the  foremost  physiological  truths  that  Nature  is  a  strict 
economist,"  and  that   "  man  has  for  ages  labored  to 

disarrange  parts  thus  admirably  adjusted No 

injury,  no  wrong,  no  cruelty  can  be  conceived  which 
barbarity  has  not  inflicted  on  the  most  generous  of 
man's  many  willing  slaves."  But  although  he  has 
thus  seen  "  the  folly  of  contending  against  those  or- 
ganizations which  govern  the  universe,"  he  still 
thought  that  the  employment  of  some  sort  of  shoe 
might  not  lie  open  to  this  charge.  Shoes  of  some 
sort  may  give  to  the  horse  the  freedom  which  is  es- 
sential for  the  health  of  the  foot,  although  he  insists 
that  all  the  shoes  thus  far  used  are  lamentable  failures. 
"There  are,"  he  says,  "many  more  pieces  .  of  iron 
curved,  hollowed,  raised,  and  indented  than  I  have 
cared  to  enumerate.  All,  however,  have  failed  to  re- 
store health  to  the  hoof.  Some  by  enforcing  a  change 
of  position  may  for  a  time  appear  to  mitigate  the 
evil ;  but  none  can  in  the  long  run  cure  the  disorder 
under  which  the  hoof  evidently  suffers."  »  Such  lan- 
guage, it  might  be  thought,  could  come  only  from 
one  who  had  discarded  the  use  of  .shoes  altogether. 
All,  however,  that  Mr.  Mayhew  has  done  is  to  point 
the  way  to  the  road  which  he  was  not  prepared  to 
take.  But  the  experience  of  Miles  and  Mayhew,  La 
Fosse,  Charlier,  and  Douglas  seems  to  lead  by  neces- 
sary logical  inference  to  one  conclusion  only.     If  the 


114  HORSES: 

working  of  the  traditionary  system  leaves  the  horse  a 
wreck  almost  before  he  has  reached  his  prime,  if  the 
lessening  of  the  weight  of  iron  and  of  the  number  of 
nails  used  in  fixing  the  iron  has  been  followed  by 
direct  and  important  benefits  in  every  instance,  if 
even  those  who  hold  that  a  horse  must  be  shod  have 
discovered  that  that  which  they  look  on  as  a  protec- 
tion to  the  fore  feet  is  merely  harmful  to  the  hind 
feet,  is  it  possible  to  stifle  the  suspicion  that  this  in- 
significant remnant  of  a  system  so  fruitful  in  mischief 
may  have  no  magic  power,  and,  in  short,  that  the 
horse  may  do  just  as  well  without  them  ? 

This  conclusion  has  been  courageously  avowed  and 
most  ably  enforced  by  a  writer  calling  himself  "  Free 
Lance  "  in  his  recently  published  work  on  '^  Horses 
and  Roads  ";  and  to  say  the  least,  it  is  time  that  the 
whole  question  should  be  fully  and  impartially  con- 
sidered. It  affects  the  wealth  of  the  nation,  and  on  it 
depend  both  the  usefulness  and  the  comfort  of  a  race 
of  noble  animals  which  are  indispensable  to  our  pros- 
perity. The  force  of  prejudice  may  be  great,  and  a 
widespread  traditional  system  may  not  be  soon  or  easily 
overthrown;  but  it  can  not  for  a  moment  be  supposed 
that  Englishmen  generally  will  assume  with  reference 
to  it  an  attitude  of  unreasoning  and  obstinate  antago- 
nism. Fear  probably  will  be  found  to  supply  a  restrain- 
ing motive  more  powerful  than  open  .ill-will.  Many 
who  think  that  the  new  theory  may  look  well  enough 
on  paper  will  doubt  its  value  in  practice,  and  will  re- 
gard their  own  horses  as  exceptions  to  which  it  can 
not  apply.     With  a  strange  ignorance  of  fact,  they 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  115 

will  insist  that  unshod  horses  may  move  safely  over 
smooth  and  soft  ground,  but  must  fail  when  it  is 
rugged,  and  hard,  and  stony,  or  will  be  oppressed  by 
a  vague  dread  that  a  horse  which  has  gone  well  enough 
without  shoes  for  six  months  may  break  down  in  the 
seventh.  But  even  those  who  refuse  to  give  up  the 
practice  of  shoeing  will  yet  acknowledge  its  faulti- 
ness,  and  wish  that  they  could  give  it  up  without 
risk.  To  all  such  we  need  only  say  that  if  they  have 
any  regard  for  impartiality  they  are  bound  to  consider 
the  arguments  and  the  facts  on  which  the  conclusions 
of  "  Free  Lance  "  rest ;  and  most  assuredly  they  will 
find  in  his  pages  nothing  which  they  may  charge  with 
extravagance,  rashness,  and  intolerance.  They  will 
not  be  told  that  unless  they  abandon  the  system  of 
shoeing  altogether  they  can  effect  no  improvement 
in  the  present  state  of  things,  or  even  that  they  must 
hasten  to  change  the  old  system  for  the  new.  On 
the  contrary,  they  will  find  that  they  are  again  and 
again  warned  against  imprudent  haste,  and  are  told 
that  a  vast  amount  of  good  may  be  achieved  even  if 
they  never  venture  on  leaving  their  horses'  feet  in  a 
state  of  nature. 

Of  these  arguments  and  facts  it  might  be  difficult 
to  determine  which  are  the  most  important  and  sig- 
nificant. Certain  it  is  that  our  horses  generally  are 
afflicted  with  a  multitude  of  diseases  which  seize  on 
their  legs  and  feet,  and  that  lameness  is  everywhere 
a  cause  of  constant  complaint  and  of  loss  of  time 
and  money.  The  author  is  not  speaking  from  theory 
or  from  book,  but  takes  his  stand  on  an  experience 


Il6  HORSES: 

obtained  during  a  sojourn  of  many  years  in  foreign 
countries,  especially  in  America,  where  in  the  con- 
struction of  railways  and  other  public  works  he  had 
to  employ  hundreds  of  horses  and  mules  on  tasks 
which  taxed  their  capabilities  to  the  utmost.  In 
Mexico,  Peru,  Brazil,  and  elsewhere  he  found  that 
unshod  horses  were  daily  worked  over  roads  of  all 
kinds,  carrying  heavy  packs  from  the  interior  down 
to  the  coast,  the  journey  thither  and  back  being  often 
extended  to  several  hundreds  of  miles,  and  that  they 
accomplished  these  journeys  without  ever  wearing 
out  their  hoofs  ;  and  the  roads  in  these  countries, 
where  they  exist  at  all,  are  neither  softer  nor  smoother 
than  those  of  England  or  of  Ireland.  If  horses  fell 
lame  it  was  from  causes  incidental  to  the  climate,  and 
for  these  the  system  of  shoeing  would  supply  no 
remedy.  From  other  diseases,  which  from  strong  and 
often  incontestable  reasons  may  be  traced  to  the 
use  of  shoes,  they  were  wholly  free.  The  necessary 
conclusion  was  that  the  system  of  shoeing  could 
answer  no  good  purpose,  while  it  might  be  productive 
of  much  harm  ;  and  in  this  conclusion  he  was  con- 
firmed by  the  admissions  and  protests  of  the  most 
able  and  competent  veterinary  surgeons  in  this  coun- 
try. These  have  uniformly  raised  their  voices  against 
the  heavy  weighting  of  the  horse's  foot  maintained 
by  the  traditional  practice.  It  has  been  found  here 
that  the  hoofs  of  some  horses  are  so  weak  that  they 
can  not  be  fully  shod  ;  and  a  writer  in  the  Fields 
styling  himself  "  Impecuniosus,"  cited  some  ten  years 
ago  a  remark  by  Mayhew  that  "  some  horses  will  go 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET. 


117 


sound  in  tips  that  can  not  endure  any  further  pro- 
tection," adding  the  significant  comment  that  the 
moral  of  this  is  ^'  that  it  is  the  shoe,  not  the  road,  that 
hurts  the  horse  ";  for  if  a  weak  and  tender  foot  can 
go  sound  when  all  but  unshod,  "  why  should  not  the 
strong  sound  one  do  the  same  ?  "  The  conclusion,  as 
he  insists,  should  rather  be  that  a  horse  must  have  a 
strong,  sound  foot  to  stand  not  our  work,  but  our  shoe. 
The  same  writer,  speaking  of  the  cruelties  unwittingly 
perpetrated  by  grooms  and  blacksmiths  on  the  horse's 
foot,  says  that  ''  though  lameness  usually  attends 
their  efforts,  they  ascribe  it  to  every  cause  but  the 
right  one,  and  indeed  resign  themselves  complacently 
to  the  presence  of  many  diseases  confessedly  caused 
by  their  treatment."  "  Free  Lance  "  has  seen,  and 
others  also  have  doubtless  seen,  light  horses,  of  high 
breed  and  value,  shod  or  burdened  with  a  full  set  of 
shoes  in  which  eight  nails,  nearly  three-sixteenths  of 
an  inch  in  thickness,  were  driven  four  in  each  quarter, 
and  in  a  space  of  three  inches  for  each  four  nails. 
He  may  well  call  attention  to  the  immense  amount 
of  laceration  and  compression  which  the  delicate 
hollow  fibers  of  the  crust  must  have  suffered  when 
thus  wedged  up  within  a  fourth  of  their  natural 
dimensions.  Besides  this,  he  adds,  the  hoof  was,  in 
one  instance,  carved  out  on  the  crust  to  receive  three 
clips,  one  on  the  toe  and  one  on  each  quarter.  "  A 
calk,  three-quarters  of  an  inch  high,  was  put  on  one 
heel  of  each  hind  shoe,  and  on  the  other  heel  a  screw 
cog  of  equal  height.  On  each  front  shoe  a  cog,  also 
three-quarters  of  an    inch   high,  was   put   upon  each 


Il8  HORSES: 

heel.  This  wretched  victim  to  fashion  was  then  re- 
garded with  the  utmost  satisfaction  by  the  farriers 
and  his  groom ;  and  all  this  heathenism  was  perpe- 
trated in  the  forge  of  a  veterinary  surgeon.  But,  per- 
haps, he  was  shoeing  to  order." 

Amongst  the  reformers  of  these  great  abuses  M. 
Charlier  occupies  a  prominent  place.  His  shoe  in  its 
first  shape  was  not  successful.  Starting  rightly  on 
the  assumption  that  nature  intended  the  horse  to 
walk  barefoot,  and  that  the  bottom  of  his  foot  was  in 
every  way  fitted  to  stand  all  wear  and  tear,  he  ex- 
cepted from  these  self-sufficing  parts  the  outer  rim, 
that  is,  the  wall  or  crust.  ''  He,  therefore,"  "  Free 
Lance  "  tell  us,  "  made  a  shoe  of  very  narrow  iron, 
less  than  the  width  of  the  wall,  which  he  let  in,  or 
imbedded,  to  the  crust,  without  touching  the  sole 
even  on  the  edge,  so  that,  in  fact,  the  horse  stood  no 
higher  after  he  was  shod  than  he  stood  when  bare- 
footed. He  urged  that  such  a  narrow  piece  of  iron 
would  not  interfere  with  the  natural  expansion  and 
contraction  of  the  foot ;  and  in  this  he  at  once  went 
wrong,  for  malleable  iron  has  no  spring  in  it.  Then, 
in  spite  of  his  theory,  as  he  expressed  it,  he  carried 
his  shoe  right  round  the  foot  into  the  bars,  beyond 
where  the  crust  ceases  to  be  independent  of  them. 
He  then  got  a  very  narrow,  weak  shoe,  about  a  foot 
in  circumference  (if  circumference  can  be  applied  to 
that  which  is  not  a  complete  circle) ;  and,  as  he  ought 
to  have  foreseen,  the  shoe  then  twisted  or  broke  on 
violent  exertion."  Still,  as  freeing  the  horse  from  a 
large  amount  of  the  weight  usually  attached  to  his  foot. 


0^ ■ 


Percheron  Stallion  Gilding  (No.  2,008,  P   N   S.  B  )     One  of  nearly  1,000  im- 
ported from  France  by  M.  W.  Dunham,  Wayne,  Du  Page  Co.,  Illinois. 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  n^ 

the  change  was  an  important  benefit ;  and  the  lesson 
thus  taught  was  not  thrown  away.  The  shoe  was 
reduced  by  a  man  at  Melton  from  the  full  to  the 
three-quarter  size,  and  in  this  form  it  weighs  five 
ounces.  Seeley's  patent  horseshoe,  adopted  by  the 
North  Metropolitan  Tramways  Company,  weighs 
one  pound  and  a  quarter,  this  being  a  reduction  of 
one-half  on  the  weight  of  the  ordinary  shoe  ;  and  we 
have  to  remember  that  each  additional  ounce  on  the 
horse's  foot  makes  a  most  sensible  difference  in  the 
amount  of  work  performed  by  him  during  the  day. 
Shoeing  their  horses  on  the  principle  of  the  modified 
Charlier  shoe,  Messrs.  Smither  &  Son,  of  Upper  East 
Smithfield,  have  found  the  result  marvelously  to 
their  advantage  in  the  measure  of  comfort  and  safety 
with  which  their  animals  do  their  work,  whether  in 
the  London  streets,  on  pavement,  or  on  country 
roads.  So  far  as  their  experience  has  gone,  there  are 
no  horses  which  it  does  not  suit,  and  it  is  of  special 
service  for  young  horses  running  on  the  London 
stones,  and  for  horses  with  tender  feet  or  corns,  and 
to  prevent  slipping.  In  other  words,  the  absence  of 
metal  confers  benefits  which  can  not  be  bestowed  by 
its  presence.  Facts  in  America  teach  the  same  lesson. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  Agricult- 
ure in  1878,  Mr.  Bowditch,  a  practical  farmer,  de- 
clared that  ''  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  thou- 
sandths of  all  the  trouble  in  horses'  feet  come  from 
shoeing,"  that  he  was  in  the  habit  of  driving  very 
hard  down  hill,  that  he  had  galloped  on  ice  on  a 
horse  whose  feet  had  merely  a  small  bit  of  iron  four 


120  HORSES: 

inches  long  curled  round  the  toe,  and  that  this  piece 
of  iron  is  all  that  is  needed  even  in  the  case  of  an 
animal  whose  feet  have  been  abused  for  a  series  of 
years.  When  nothing  is  left  but  this  fragment  of 
the  traditional  shoe,  and  when  even  this  fragment 
has,  as  in  Massachusetts  and  elsewhere,  been  retained 
for  the  fore  feet  only,  it  is  incredible  that  men  should 
fail  to  ask  what  the  use  of  this  relic  of  the  old  sys- 
tem may  be.  s  Donkeys  in  Ireland  are  unshod,  and 
they  work  on  roads  at  least  as  rough,  hard,  slimy,  and 
slippery  as  those  of  England.  "  Can  one  really  be- 
lieve," asks  ''  Free  Lance,"  "  that  the  animal  which  is 
endowed  with  the  greater  speed  and  power  should 
have  worse  feet  than  his  inferior  in  both  respects?" 
To  such  a  question  one  answer  only  can  be  given  ; 
and  the  lesson  may  be  learned  by  any  one  who  will 
take  the  trouble  to  go  to  the  wilds  of  Exmoor  or 
Dartmoor.  There,  as  in  the  Orkneys  and  on  the 
Welsh  hills  and  in  many  parts  of  the  continent  of 
Europe,  horses  run  unshod  over  rocks,  through 
ravines,  and  up  or  down  precipitous  ridges.  "  Yet  all 
this,"  Mr.  Douglas  remarks,  ''  is  done  without  diffi- 
culty, and  to  the  evident  advantage  of  their  hoofs, 
for  these  animals  never  suffer  from  contracted  feet,  or 
from  corns,  sand-cracks,  etc.,  until  they  become  civil- 
ized and  have  been  shod."  Mr.  Douglas,  it  is  true, 
holds  that  civilization  involves  the  need  of  a  shoe  of 
some  sort  for  horses  as  for  men  ;  Mr.  Mayhew  advo- 
cates the  use  of  the  tip,  and,  as  we  have  said,  it  is 
not  in  human  nature  to  stop  short  at  such  a  point  as 
this.     It    is  obvious  that  if   the   complete  abandon- 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  \2\ 

ment  of  iron  is  followed  by  increased  efficiency  and 
power  of  endurance  on  the  part  of  the  horse,  as  well 
as  from  a  number  of  painful  and  highly  injurious 
diseases,  the  owner  is  directly  and  largely  benefited  in 
more  ways  than  one.  His  horses  live  in  greater  com- 
fort, and  for  a  longer  time  ;  his  veterinary  surgeon's 
bill  and  the  outlay  for  medicine  are  greatly  lessened, 
and  the  costs  of  farriery  disappear  altogether. 

Farriers  will  of  course  complain  that  their  occu- 
pation is  gone,  and  that  they  are  ruined  men  ;  but 
little  heed  was  paid  to  like  pleas  when  they  were 
urged  for  the  drivers  and  attendants  of  coaches  and 
coach  horses  when  the  first  railways  were  constructed. 
Matters  will  adjust  themselves  in  this  case  as  they 
did  in  the  other.  But  that  the  change  can  not  be 
effected  in  a  day  or  a  week,  no  one  will  venture  to 
deny.  The  feet  of  horses  are  ordinarily  treated,  not 
wantonly,  but  through  ignorance,  with  a  cruelty  which 
is  simply  shocking.  With  vast  numbers  of  animals 
which  are  not  kept  for  purposes  of  drudgery  and  in 
whose  appearance  their  owners  feel  a  pride,  the  hoof  is 
a  mere  wreck,  and  the  sight  of  the  mangled  and  split 
hoof  may  well  excite  not  merely  pity,  but  wonder 
that  any  can  passively  allow  such  evils  to  go  on.  A 
few,  however,  will  always  be  found  with  resolution 
enough  to  shake  off  the  fetters  of  traditionalism  ; 
and  some  of  these  have  already  expressed  their 
opinion  with  sufficient  emphasis.  One  of  these, 
writing  in  November,  1878,  says: 

"  The  argument  against  horseshoes  seemed  to  me 
so  strong,  and  the  convenience  of  doing  without 
6 


122  HORSES: 

them  so  great,  that  I  resolved  to  try  the  experiment. 
Accordingly,  when  my  pony's  shoes  were  worn  out,  I 
had  them  removed,  and  gave  him  a  month's  rest  at 
grass,  with  an  occasional  drive  of  a  mile  or  two  on 
the  high-road  while  his  hoofs  were  hardening.  The 
result  at  first  seemed  doubtful.  The  hoof  was  a  thin 
shell,  and  kept  chipping  away,  until  it  had  worn  down 
below  the  holes  of  the  nails  by  which  the  shoes  had 
been  fastened.  After  this  the  hoof  grew  thick  and 
hard,  quite  unlike  what  it  had  been  before.  I  now 
put  the  pony  to  full  work,  and  he  stands  it  well. 
He  is  more  sure-footed,  his  tread  is  almost  noiseless, 
and  his  hoofs  know  no  danger  from  the  rough  hands 
of  the  farrier,  and  the  change  altogether  has  been  a 
clear  gain,  without  anything  to  set  off  against  it. 
The  pony  was  between  four  and  five  years  old,  and 
had  been  regularly  shod  up  to  the  present  year.  He 
now  goes  better  without  shoes  than  he  ever  did  with 
them." 

A  well-known  Cumberland  farmer,  writing  about 
the  same  time,  speaks  of  a  farm  horse  in  his  posses- 
sion, which,  having  been  lamed  by  a  nail  driven  into 
its  foot,  had  been  for  many  months  in  the  hands  of 
the  farrier.  Tired  out  with  this  annoyance,  the  owner 
had  his  shoes  taken  off  and  turned  him  out  to  pasture. 
While  still  rather  lame,  the  horse  was  set  to  work  on 
the  land  ;  and  he  is  now,  we  are  told,  "  doing  all  sorts 
of  farm  work,  and  dragging  his  load  as  well  ars  any 
shod  horse  even  over  hard  pavement."  If  judgment 
based  on  knowledge  is  to  carry  weight,  the  question 
would  soon  be  settled.     We  have  already  seen  the 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET. 


123 


opinions  expressed  by  the  most  able  writers  on  the 
horse,  and  especially  on  the  structure  and  treatment 
of  his  feet,  as  well  as  by  the  best  veterinary  surgeons. 
The  verdict  of  the  Lancet  is  almost  more  emphatic. 
"  As  a  matter  of  physiological  fitness,"  it  says, 
"  nothing  more  indefensible  than  the  use  of  shoes  can 
be  imagined.  Not  only  is  the  mode  of  attaching 
them  by  nails  injurious  to  the  hoof,  it  is  the  probable, 
if  not  evident,  cause  of  many  affections  of  the  foot 
and  leg,  which  impair  the  usefulness  and  must  affect 
the  comfort  of  the  animal."  If  we  add  that  the 
hunter  is  benefited  almost  more  than  other  horses  by 
being  allowed  to  use  his  feet  as  nature  made  them, 
the  admission  is  made  in  the  interests  of  the  horse 
and  not  as  an  expression  of  opinion  on  the  contro- 
versy respecting  the  right  or  the  wrong  of  fox-hunt- 
ing. It  is  enough  to  say  that  for  horses  which  have 
to  move  rapidly,  and  to  come  down  with  a  sudden 
shock  on  sticky  and  sHppery  ground,  the  natural 
course  of  the  process  of  expansion  and  contraction  is 
of  the  first  importance.  For  those  who  may  care 
nothing  for  the  gratification  of  hunting  men,  it  may 
be  amusing  or  provoking  to  learn  that  in  times  of 
hard  frost  hunters  have  been  enabled  to  chase  the 
prey  by  the  aid  of  gutta-percha  soles  fastened  to  the 
feet  ;  but  all  who  are  anxious  only  for  the  welfare  of 
the  horse  will  see  in  this  fact  strong  evidence  of  the 
uselessness  of  the  iron  shoe.  The  plain  truth  is  that 
differences  in  the  quality  of  soil,  be  it  hard  or  soft, 
stony  or  sandy,  smooth  and  slippery,  are  of  com- 
paratively little  importance  to  the  horse  whose  feet 


124  HORSES: 

are  as  nature  made  them.  In  the  words  of  "  Free 
Lance,"  "  the  unshod  horse  can  successfully  deal  with 
all  roads ";  and  assuredly  no  one  will  dream  of 
asserting  that  shod  horses  can  do  this,  for  on  the 
setting  in  of  frost,  for  instance,  they  can  not  be 
worked  until  certain  ceremonies  have  been  gone 
through  at  the  blacksmith's  forge.  The  unshod  horse 
can  tread  firmly  on  the  slime  of  wood  pavement 
when  shod  horses  are  slipping  and  struggling  in  agony 
around  them  ;  he  can  gallop  on  ice,  and  trot  for  miles 
together  on  the  hardest  and  roughest  flint  roads,  with 
far  more  ease  and  comfort  than  horses  whose  feet  are 
shod  with  iron,  or  even  with  gutta-percha.  "  Free 
Lance  "  rightly  remarks  that  ^'  if  they  could  not,  there 
would  be  an  end  of  the  thing,  for  evidently  the  horse 
should  be  able  to  go  anywhere  and  everywhere,  and 
at  a  moment's  notice."  It  seems  hard  to  produce 
the  conviction  that  the  natural  sole  of  the  horse's 
foot  is  almost  impenetrable,  that  it  is  so  hard  and 
strong  as  to  protect  the  sensible  sole  from  all  harm, 
and  that  all  feet  exposed  to  hard  objects  are  made 
harder  by  the  contact,  provided  only  that  the  sole  is 
never  pared.  This  adequacy  of  the  horse's  foot  to 
all  demands  that  may  be  made  upon  it  is  forcibly 
illustrated  by  Mr.  Bracy  Clark,  who,  like  Mr.  Douglas 
and  Mr.  Mayhew,  contented  himself  with  striving  to 
produce  a  perfect  shoe,  although  he  acknowledged 
that  if  we  wish  to  appreciate  the  full  beauty  of  its 
structure,  "  we  must  dismiss  from  our  views  the 
miserable,  coerced,  shod  foot  entirely  and  consider 
the  animal  in  a  pure  state  of  nature  using  his  foot 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET, 


125 


without  any  defense."  Probably  Mr.  Clark  thought 
that,  though  we  may  consider  it  in  its  natural  state; 
few  can  ever  so  behold  it,  as  all  horses  in  civilized 
countries  are  in  greater  or  less  degree  brought  under 
artificial  conditions.  The  plea  is  fallacious.  The 
horse  is  clearly  intended  by  nature  to  serve  as  a 
domesticated  animal  ;  and  so  long  as  we  do  not  in- 
terfere with  the  proper  functions  of  any  part  of  itfi 
body  (and  the  abomination  of  bearing  reins  and 
other  such  practices  interfere  with  them  grievously 
and  even  fatally),  we  bring  it  under  no  conditions 
which  it  was  not  designedly  calculated  to  encounter. 
Private  owners  and  companies  whose  horses  must  be 
numbered  by  troops  are  naturally  irritated  by  the 
accidents  constantly  occurring  on  smooth  and  slimy 
pavements  or  on  rough  and  hard  stone  or  flint  roads, 
and  in  their  disgust  they  now  offered  rewards  for  the 
invention  of  a  shoe  which  shall  render  the  horse  in- 
different to  the  materials  over  which  he  has  to  pass, 
and  have  clamored  for  a  uniform  system  of  pavements 
in  all  towns.  It  seems  strange  indeed  that  no  mis- 
giving seems  to  cross  their  minds  that  they  are  taking 
thought  of  the  wrong  surface,  and  that  they  are 
scared  by  false  terrors  when  they  dread  the  contact 
of  the  unshod  hoof  with  sand,  granite,  flint,  wood,  or 
asphalt. 

It  can  not,  indeed,  be  too  often  repeated  or  too 
strongly  insisted  on,  that  the  foot  of  the  horse  in  no 
way  needs  to  rest  on  soft  and  yielding  surfaces. 
The  very  opposite  of  this  is  the  truth,  and  this 
truth  was  perceived  as  clearly  by  Xenophon  as  by  the 


126  ■  HORSES: 

ablest  physiologists  of  our  own  day.  Speaking,  as  he 
says,  not  from  theory,  but  from  wide  and  varied  ex- 
perience, Xenophon  insists  that  in  order  to  ensure 
the  healthiness  of  horses,  stable  floors  must  not  be 
smooth  or  damp ;  that  they  should  be  lined  with 
stones  of  irregular  shapes,  of  much  the  same  size  as 
the  animal's  hoof,  and  that  the  ground  outside  the 
stable,  on  which  it  is  groomed,  should  be  covered  in 
parts  with  loose  stones  laid  down  in  large  quantities, 
but  surrounded  by  an  iron  rim  to  prevent  their  being 
scattered.  Standing  on  these  the  horse,  Xenophon 
adds,  will  be  in  much  the  same  condition  as  if  he 
were  traveling  on  a  stony  road,  and  as  he  must  move 
his  hoof  when  he  is  being  rubbed  down  as  much  as 
when  he  is  walking,  the  stones  thus  spread  about  will 
strengthen  the  frogs  of  his  feet.  It  is  not  easy  to 
repress  a  certain  feeling  of  shame  at  the  disingenu- 
ousness  of  modern  writers  who  have  tried  to  shirk 
the  difficulty  by  saying  that  Xenophon  had  no  knowl- 
edge of  our  hard  roads.  It  is  enough  to  reply  that 
he  speaks  distinctly  of  roads  covered  with  stones, 
and  of  the  benefit  which  the  horse  derives  from 
traversing  them.  There  is  not  a  word  to  justify  a 
suspicion  that  he  would  have  shrunk  from  the  hardest 
roadway  of  modern  times.  Xenophon  is  thus  in  com- 
plete agreement  with  Lord  Pembroke's  remark  that 
the  constant  use  of  litter  in  a  stable  makes  the  feet 
tender  and  causes  swelled  legs.  In  his  judgment  the 
bare  stone  pavement  will  cool,  harden,  and  improve  a 
horse's  feet  merely  by  his  standing  on  it.  Acting  on 
the  same  principle,  Vegetius,  as  *'  Free  Lance  "  re- 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR-  FEET.  12; 

marks,  holds  that  the  floor  of  a  stable  should  be  made, 
not  of  soft  wood,  but  of  solid  hard  oak,  which  will 
make  the  foot  of  the  horse  as  hard  as  a  rock.  It 
should  surely  be  unnecessary  to  say  that  these  writers 
make  not  the  remotest  reference  or  allusion  to  the 
shoeing  of  horses.  It  was  impossible  that  they  could 
notice  a  practice  which  was  unknown  to  the  ancient 
world,  and  which  is  in  truth  simply  a  modern,  as  it 
is  also  a  most  uncalled  for,  barbarism.  No  iron  helped 
to  produce  the  heavy  sound  of  solid  horn  which  Virgil 
ascribes  to  the  fiery  steed  of  Pollux.  Of  late  years 
we  have  heard  much  of  the  unjustifiable  waste  of 
time  spent  on  classical  literature  which  has  no  practi- 
cal bearing  on  the  interests  of  modern  life.  It  is  un- 
fortunate that  Xenophon's  treatise  on  the  manage- 
ment of  horses  has  not  formed  one  of  the  subjects  for 
the  upper  forms  of  our  public  schools ;  and  it  would 
be  well  if  they  were  made  to  read  with  care  a  book 
written  by  one  who  wrote  unfettered  by  the  restraints 
of  any  traditional  system,  and  who  successfully 
brought  the  cavalry  as  well  as  the  infantry  of  the  Syrian 
army  of  Greeks  from  the  plains  of  Babylon  to  the  shores 
of  the  Euxine.  There  they  would  see  how  thoroughly 
the  rules  laid  down  by  the  leader  of  the  Ten  Thou- 
sand for  the  selection  and  the  management  of  horses 
are  in  accordance  with  the  highest  scientific  knowl- 
edge of  the  present  day,  and  how  happy  an  ignorance 
he  displays  of  the  long  and  dismal  catalogue  of 
diseases  and  miseries  which  a  wrong-headed  and 
ridiculous  system  has  called  into  e5cistence.  No 
horses  could  be  subjected  to  a  more  severe  strain  in 


128  HORSES: 

every  limb  of  their  body  than  were  those  which 
Xenophon  led  from  Cunaxa  over  the  Armenian  high- 
lands to  the  walls  of  Trebizond  ;  yet  we  hear  nothing 
of  any  special  difficulties  arising  from  diseases  of  the 
foot  or  leg.  It  may  probably  be  said  with  truth  that 
the  strain  endured  by  those  horses  could  be  borne 
only  by  unshod  animals.  Paul  Louis  Courier,  the 
French  translator  of  Xenophon's  treatise,  was  so 
struck  by  the  apparent  soundness  of  his  method,  that 
he  put  it  to  the  test  by  riding  unshod  horses  in  the 
Calabrian  campaign  of  1807,  and  he  did  so  with  com- 
plete success.  But  that  which  with  him  was  a  volun- 
tary experiment  has  been  for  others  an  involuntary 
necessity.  This  was  the  case  with  many  of  our 
cavalry  horses  during  the  Indian  Mutiny,  and  their 
riders  have  declared  that  they  were  never  better 
mounted  in  their  lives.  In  the  retreat  of  the  French 
from  Moscow  the  horses,  *'  Free  Lance "  remarks, 
lost  all  their  shoes  before  they  reached  the  Vistula ; 
yet  they  found  their  way  to  France  over  hard,  rough, 
and  frozen  ground.  In  his  invasion  of  America, 
Cortes  could  not  carry  about  with  him  the  anvils, 
forges,  and  iron  needed  for  shoeing  even  the  small 
number  of  horses  which  he  had  with  him.  But  these 
horses  did  their  work  and  survived  it,  and  from  them 
comes  the  fierce  mustang  of  Mexico,  which  still  goes 
unshod.  There  is  great  force  in  the  remark  of  ''  Free 
Lance  "  that  horses  are  not  indigenous  to  America, 
this  being  their  first  introduction,  and  that  climate 
and  locality,  therefore,  have  not  that  influence  over 
the  hoof  which  they  are  commonly  supposed  to  have. 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET.  129 

The  small  horses  of  the  irregular  cavalry  at  the  Cape, 
which  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Ulundi,  had  no 
shoes  on  their  hind  feet,  and  few  were  shod  even  in 
front,  but  they  held  out  longer  and  went  miles  farther 
than  the  shod  animals  :  and  no  complaints  were  made  of 
any  of  them  falling  lame,  although,  as  "  Free  Lance  " 
adds,  "■  sheets  of  wet  slippery  rock  and  rolling  stones 
in  river  beds  would  be  calculated  to  try  the  hoofs  to 
the  utmost." 

But  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  cite  more  instances 
of  the  vast  benefits  which  those  who  have  had  the 
courage  to  leave  the  feet  of  their  horses  as  nature 
made  them  have  received  under  the  most  varied  con- 
ditions of  work,  of  soil,  and  of  climate.  Humanity 
and  self-interest  here  point  in  the  same  direction,  and 
only  folly  of  the  most  perverse  kind  will  have  the 
hardihood  to  fight  for  the  maintenance  of  the  existing 
system.  The  cruelties  practiced  (whether  unwittingly, 
or  wantonly)  on  the  horse's  foot  have  been  extended 
over  a  series  of  generations,  but  the  only  penalty 
which  remains  to  be  paid  for  the  ill-doing  of  years  is  the 
surrender  of  a  few  days  or  a  few  weeks  of  the  labor  of 
the  animal  which  has  been  thus  misused.  On  the  other 
side,  there  is  a  certainty  that  we  shall  be  entering  on 
a  course  which  will  triple  the  length  of  time  over 
which  the  efficiency  of  the  horse^  will  be  extended, 
and  which  therefore  will,  within  twenty  years,  have 
saved  the  nation  a  hundred  and  thirty-five  millions 
sterling.  It  will  further  ensure  the  immediate  saving 
of  all  the  money  now  spent  on  farrier}^,  and  this 
saving,  which  must  be  at  the  least  forty  shilings  a  year 
6* 


I30  HORSES: 

on  every  horse,  will  amount  to  two  millions  and  a  quar 
ter ;  and  there  will  be  the  further  saving  in  straw  as 
well  as  on  medicines,  nostrums,  and  remedies  no 
longer  needed  for  animals  rescued  from  a  system 
which  was  a  fruitful  source  of  discomfort,  disease,  and 
death.  The  angry  controversies  which  the  subject 
is  now  constantly  calling  forth  and  exasperating  will 
at  the  same  time  disappear.  There  will  no  longer  be 
an  outcry  for  uniformity  in  the  system  of  paving 
towns,  for  horses  will  go  as  well  on  one  kind  of  pave- 
ment as  on  another.  There  will  no  longer  be  queru- 
lous demands  on  inventors  for  the  devising  of  a 
perfect  shoe,  because  it  will  be  clearly  seen  that  this 
perfect  shoe  has  been  furnished  already  by  nature,  and 
that  it  is  only  human  ignorance  and  conceit  which  has 
marred  the  work  of  God.  We  may  now  look  back 
with  some  feeling  of  envious  regret  on  the  wiser,  be- 
cause more  natural  methods  of  the  ancient  world  ; 
and  future  generations  will  look  back  with  feelings  of 
simple  wonderment  at  the  infatuation  which  could 
submit  without  a  struggle  to  a  system  which  doomed 
the  horse  to  unnecessary  disease  and  agony  and  to  a 
premature  death,  while  it  deprived  his  owner  of 
wealth  often  sorely  needed  for  his  own  welfare  and 
that  of  all  depending  on  him.  Of  the  ultimate  issue 
there  can  be  no  doubt ;  but  it  is  still  the  duty  of 
"  Free  Lance,"  as  of  all  whose  eyes  are  opened  to 
the  mischief  of  the  existing  system,  to  fight  the  battle 
to  the  end. 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET. 


AGAINST   HORSESHOEING. 


131 


The  New  York  Tribune  says:  ''Colonel  M.  C. 
Weld's  noteworthy  views  on  the  abuse  of  shoeing 
horses,  as  lately  expressed  in  the  Tribune,  have  at- 
tracted deserved  attention  abroad  as  well  as  at  home, 
and  called  out  another  striking  statement  of  favorable 
English  experience,  the  points  of  which  we  quote 
from  The  Mark  Lane  Express  : 

"  '  About  three  years  ago,  I  was  led  to  give  the 
non-shoeing  system  a  fair  trial,  commencing  with  a 
pony  constantly  driven,  and  extending  the  experi- 
ment to  the  young  farm  horses,  all  of  which  had, 
however,  unfortunately  been  shod  before  the  trial  be- 
gan, and  am  now  able  to  endorse  the  observations  of 
Colonel  M.  C.  Weld  in  almost  every  particular,  except 
as  regards  traveling  on  paved  surfaces,  as  in  South- 
ampton, where  there  is  a  tramway,  it  is  found  that  the 
pony  prefers  the  paved  stoneway  to  the  macadamized 
part  on  either  side.  The  time  that  elapsed  before 
the  "  dead  horn "  of  the  hoof  grew  out  was  six 
months,  and  it  was  fully  eighteen  before  the  insensi- 
ble frog  lost  its  callousness  and  grew  soft,  like  strong 
india-rubber.  The  pony  does  not  work  on  the  farm, 
but  goes  out  nearly  every  day,  the  greatest  number 
of  miles  run  in  any  one  week  being  eighty  and  in  any 
one  day  thirty-two. 

"  '  Before  the  shoes  were  removed  it  was  somewhat 
of  a  "  daisy  cutter,"  had  been  down  once  or  twice, 
and  stumbled  much  going  down  hill  ;  since  discarding 
shoes  it  has  never  sturbled  once,  and  I  have  driven 


132 


HORSES, 


it  full  trot  down  a  hill  covered  with  snow  and  ice. 
This  pony  had  been  shod  up  to  seven  years  old.  The 
farm  horses  are  young  and  strong,  and  have  been 
bred  on  the  place,  and  though  mostly  employed  in 
the  fields,  are  frequently  engaged  in  hauling  corn, 
timber,  bricks,  or  manure,  for  home  or  hire  purposes. 
No  roads  than  those  around  Winchester  can  be  more 
trying,  repaired  (!)  as  they  are  with  flints,  which  have 
been  broken  just  enough  to  make  them  cut  like  razors, 
and  are  a  cruelty  to  horses  shod  or  unshod.  I  find 
no  difference  in  the  capability  of  drawing  full  loads. 
There  is  no  stamping  in  the  stable  or  when  standing 
out ;  over  asphalt  or  icy  pavements  there  is  no  slip- 
ping ;  the  feet  do  not  ball  up  over  snow. 

**  *  The  great  drawback  is  that  against  which  all  who 
try  any  new  groove  have  to  contend,  namely,  the  un- 
yielding prejudice  of  all  classes,  more  especially  those 
who  have  to  look  after  the  horsey,  who,  rather  than 
aid  in  any  change,  will  throw  every  obstacle  in  the 
way ;  but  to  my  brother  farmers  I  say  emphatically, 
the  man  who  cuts  the  frog  of  or  shoes  his  young 
horse  is  committing  a  great  error.  With  a  little  care 
at  first  you  may  work  them  on  roads  or  fields ;  the 
animals  will  be  certainly  happier  and  probably  health- 
ier, and  yourselves  be  in  pocket  by  the  change,  and, 
with  an  occasional  rasp  the  appearance  of  your 
horses  will  be  far  better  than  the  torn,  jagged,  heavily^ 
ironej  and  nailed  feet  of  one-half  the  wretched 
animals  it  is  painful  to  see  about  the  country.'  " 


SOUND  VIEWS  ABOUT  HORSESHOEING. 
BY   COL.   M.   C.  WELD. 

Messrs.  Fowler  &  Wells: 

Gentlemen : — I  thank  you  for  showing  me  the 
essay  by  Sir  George  Cox,  which  I  have  never  seen 
entire  before,  and  also  the  article  cHpped  from  the 
Mark  Lajte  Express  (London),  which  so  pleasantly  en- 
dorses my  views  upon  the  subject  of  driving  horses 
barefoot.  I  do  not  know  that  I  can  add  anything  of 
special  value  to  what  you  already  have  and  propose 
to  publish,  but  offer  the  following 

NOTES   FROM    MY   OWN   EXPERIENCE. 

It  is  now  about  fifteen  years  since  I  began  to  reasoii 
about  horseshoeing.  Like  other  people,  I  suppose  I 
thought  shoes  a  necessity,  of  course.  Of  course !  That 
is  the  natural  rut  we  get  into, — thinking :  "  Every- 
body can  not  be  mistaken."  The  blacksmith  was  my 
oracle.  He  is  the  oracle  of  everybody  who  owns 
horses  and  does  not  have  notions  of  his  own.  He 
cut  as  he  pleased,  and  burned  as  he  pleased,  and  shod 
as  he  pleased.  The  horses  had  thrush,  and  corns, 
and  contracted  heels — of  course.  Everybody's  horses 
are  liable  to  such  troubles — they  caulked  themselves, 
overreached,  interfered  but  rarely,  and  then  reshoeing 

(133) 


134  HORSES: 

remedied  the  matter.  It  was  all  right  and  to  be  ex- 
pected— of  course,  and  perhaps  necessary  (?). 

I  began  to  read  and  found  little  to  the  point,  but 
stopped  the  paring  of  the  frog  absolutely.  Then  I 
became  acquainted  in  a  business  way  with  Mr.  Good- 
enough,  the  inventor  of  the  form  of  shoe  which  bears 
his  name.  We  reasoned  together,  and  /learned  some- 
thing. I  began  to  use  Goodenough's  shoes  put  on 
cold,  and  found  it  difficult  to  get  smiths  to  put  them 
on  well.  This  led  me  to  the  conclusion  that  I  could 
drive  a  nail  as  well  as  a  blacksmith's  apprentice ;  so  I 
soon  became  the  possessor  of  a  "  draw  knife,"  a  rasp, 
a  pair  of  pincers,  and  a  good  horseshoeing  hammer. 
These,  with  the  tools  about  the  barn  and  house  and  a 
few  sets  of  Goodenough  shoes,  were  my  stock  in 
trade,  and  with  my  man's  help  I  shod  my  horses  for 
a  full  year.  On  one  horse  a  single  set  of  steel  winter 
shoes  wore,  with  only  two  resettings,  from  January 
to  August,  nearly  eight  months.  They  wore  very 
evenly  and  thin,  and  finally  one  broke  in  two,  and  I 
pulled  them  all  ofT.  The  hoofs  were  trimmed,  and 
though  unshod  for  a  while,  did  not  break  much. 
After  about  two  weeks  we  thought  the  fore  feet 
showed  a  little  tenderness,  and  they  were  shod.  The 
hind  feet  wore  well,  and  were  in  splendid  shape.  The 
other  horse  had  his  hind  shoes  removed,  and  this 
cured  the  thrush  which  was  in  them,  and  before 
winter  he  had  a  new  pair  of  frogs — sound  and  large. 

After  this  experience,  every  spring  for  some  years 
I  pulled  off  the  shoes  all  round,  kept  the  feet  trimmed, 
and  let  them  wear  into  good  shape,  and  as  soon  as 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET.  135 

they  were  well  worn  down,  say  in  three  or  four  weeks, 
had  the  front  feet  shod,  and  I  learned  to  have  the 
old  shoes  reset  if  they  would  hold  the  nails,  and  to 
have  this  done  as  seldom  as  possible.  This  does  not 
mean  that  the  shoe  was  left  on  till  it  came  off  of  its 
own  accord,  but  so  long  as  the  horse  seemed  to  stand 
and  travel  well,  the  shoes  were  not  set  back. 

I  had  four  colts,  and  about  this  time  began  to  train 
and  drive  them.  Those  that  were  old  enough  were 
used  daily  on  the  road,  never  being  driven  more  than 
eight  to  ten  miles  in  one  day,  and  rarely  that.  A 
friend  dropped  the  remark,  "  If  your  colts  have  good 
feet  you  will  not  need  to  shoe  them  until  they  are 
five  years  old."  I  was  already  beginning  to  regret 
the  necessity  of  having  them  shod,  for  after  I  had 
found  out  that  I  could  do  my  own  horseshoeing,  I 
was  glad  to  have  the  smith  do  it — if  he  would  do  it 
my  way ;  and  he  was  glad  to  put  on  even  Goodenough 
shoes. 

I  did  not  have  the  colts  shod,  and  found  out  that  it 
takes  a  deal  of  use,  even  in  soft  wet  weather  when  the 
hoofs  are  easily  worn,  to  wear  them  down  so  that  the 
feet  are  tender. 

I  began  also  to  let  the  old  horses  go  barefoot. 
They  were  used  chiefly  on  the  farm  (as  we  had  the 
colts  for  driving),  and  before  long, -say  within  three 
months,  their  feet  were  in  beautiful  condition — round, 
solid,  with  big  frogs  and  broad  heels,  and  besides,  the 
fresh  growth  of  horn  around  the  coronet  was  so 
healthy,  smooth,  and  uniform  that  it  was  a  pleasure 
to  see  it. 


136  HORSES: 

The  following  winter  was  quite  open  for  this  lati- 
tude, and  we  used  four  horses,  on  the  farm,  in  the 
wood  lot,  and  on  the  road,  all  unshod  throughout  the 
season.  Horses  fairly  on  their  feet  (that  is,  with  tough 
hoofs,  not  weakened  by  nails,  and  the  influence  of 
shoes)  will  travel  without  flinching  in  the  least  over 
the  hardest  and  roughest  frozen  ground  or  broken 
stones,  provided  they  are  a  little  used  to  it.  A  bare- 
foot horse  will  not  "  ball "  in  soft  snow  and  he  will 
stand  up  on  smooth  ice.  So  as  the  horses  went 
through  the  winter  so  well,  and  neither  spring  nor 
summer  made  me  change  my  mind  about  the  princi- 
ple involved,  I  approached  the  next  winter  with  con- 
fidence that  I  could  drive  the  horses  barefoot  that 
season  too.  I  was  too  sanguine ;  the  ground  froze 
early,  the  roads  wore  down  as  smooth  as  a  barn  floor ; 
there  came  a  storm  in  January  of  mixed  snow  and  rain 
followed  by  extreme  cold,  and  the  whole  land  was  a 
sheet  of  ice.  I  thought  about  how  Mr.  Bowditch 
had  galloped  on  the  ice  with  only  a  "  toe-clip,"  and 
started  out  boldly.  My  horse  did  not  fall,  but  he 
was  in  mortal  fear  of  falling  and  I  was  proportionately 
uncomfortable.  I  tried  the  matter  well  and  gave  it 
up,  had  the  horses  shod  and  they  went  free  again,  ex- 
cept when  a  soft  snow  fell  upon  the  ice ;  then  with  snow 
two  or  three  inches  thick  packed  in  balls  below  their 
feet  they  were  worse  off  than  if  barefooted. 

I  am  entirely  satisfied  that  it  is  best  to  use  shoes 
in  icy  weather,  and  in  fact  in  winter  weather  generally. 
The  disadvantage  is  that  the  hoof  walls  are  hurt  by 
the  nails-  —but  then  I  have  the  nails  driven  very  close 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET.  137 

to  the  edge  of  the  horn,  which  is  surprisingly  tough. 
The  growth  of  new  horn  is  not  checked  or  essentially 
affected,  because  we  have  so  much  snow  and  our 
country  roads  are  so  rough  that  there  is  frog-pressure 
enough  to  secure  a  good  growth  of  horn.  When  we 
pull  the  shoes  off  in  March  or  April  a  single  paring 
removes  most  of  the  split  and  damaged  horn,  provided 
the  nails  are  driven  close  enough  to  the  edge. 

An  unshod  horse  in  winter  will  not  pull  half  a  load 
even  on  reasonably  rough  roads.  He  may  go  well 
for  miles,  but  may  then  come  upon  an  icy  spot  that 
he  can  hardly  get  over.  On  smooth  icy  roads  an 
unshod  horse,  though  much  better  off  than  one  with 
smooth  shoes,  can  not  travel  with  the  freedom  and 
confidence  in  his  footing  that  is  essential  to  the  com- 
fort and  safety  of  the  driver,  and  especially  so  to  the 
rider. 

Of  late  we  have  had  more  horses  than  we  needed, 
owing  to  our  repugnance — in  fact,  determination  not 
to  sell  a  faithful  old  family  servant  when  too  old  for 
much  work  ;  so  we  have  seldom  worn  any  of  our 
horses'  feet  off  on  the  road  to  that  extent  that  they 
went  tender.  It  has  occurred  in  two  or  three  in- 
stances, however,  and  it  is  always  likely  to  occur  to 
whoever  drives  his  horses  barefoot.  The  remedy  is 
simple :  put  on  "  toe-clips,"  ''  half-Tnoon  shoes,"  or 
what  Sir  George  quotes  Mr.  Bowditch  as  calling 
"  merely  a  small  bit  of  iron,  four  inches  long,  curled 
around  the  toe."  This  is  chiefly  necessary  for  the 
fore  feet  of  driving  horses ;  but  horses  that  pull 
heavy  loads  need  this   device  on  the  hind  feet  alsO: 


138  HORSES. 

The  toe-clips  should  be   made  to  take  well  hold  of 
the  ground  and  should  be  thinned  down  at  the  ends. 

If  a  horse  should  come  home  from  a  journey  sore, 
and  with  his  feet  perhaps  worn  to  the  quick  and 
bleeding,  give  him  a  week's  rest  before  shoeing — • 
turning  him  out  when  the  grass  is  wet  with  dew,  or 
give  him  the  run  of  a  swampy  piece  of  ground. 
This  will  do  his  feet  more  good  than  any  other  treat- 
ment, and  then  put  on  toe-clips. 

Since  driving  barefoot  I  have  never  had  a  "  sand 
crack,"  a  broken  or  split  hoof,  "  quarter-crack  "  or 
anything  of  the  kind  and  no  trouble  of  the  feet 
whatever,  except  when  worn  down  as  explained. 
Even  the  old  horse,  24  years  old,  has  feet  as  round 
and  sound  as  an  unshod  colt. 

Thanking  you  for  this  opportunity  to  aid  in  pro- 
mulgating sound  views  about  horseshoeing. 
Truly  yours, 

MASON  C.  WELD. 

New  York,  August,  1883. 


THE   TRAINING  AND   CHARACTER  OF 
HORSES. 

The  following  from  a  recent  number  of  that  useful 
and  practical  publication,  The  Phrenological  Journal, 
will  be  found  of  interest,  and  suggestive  in  the  selec- 
tion and  management  of  horses: 

"  Of  our  domestic  animals  none  occupy  more  atten- 
tion than  the  horse,  and  altogether  there  is  no  subject 
with  which  general  society  is  supposed  to  be  more 


Fig.  I. — Highest  Type  of  Intelligence. 

familiar,  yet  when  it  is  a  question  of  positive  knowl- 
edge for  a  given  purpose  very  few  are  able  to  meet 
the  case — even  among  farmers  and  stock  raisers  we 
would  scarcely  find  two  who  would  agree  entirely  on 
the  training  or  education  of  a  horse  having  a  certain 
trait  or  disposition.  On  the  farm  the  treatment  of 
this  most  useful  companion  of  man  is  for  the  most 
part  irregular,  injudicious,  and  very  often  absolutely 


I40 


HORSES: 


cruel ;  and  the  wonder  is  that  the  colt  develops  into 
a  condition  of  docility,  patience,  and  usefulness,  which 
is  rather  typical  than  otherwise  of  the  horse  generally. 
With  his  highly  organized  brain,  sensitive  tempera- 
ment, great  strength,  capabilities  of  resistance,  the 
horse  by  appropriate  training  could  be  rendered  much 
more  efficient  than  he  averages.  This  is  shown  by 
occasionally  meeting  with  a  noble  specimen  of  the 
equine  family  which  has  fallen  into  considerate  hands, 
and  the  capabilities  of  intelligence  in  such  a  case  are 
astonishing,  and  the  sarcastic  remark  which  \l  often 
heard,  '  That  horse  knows  more  than  his  master,' 
seems  warranted.  The  deficiencies  in  horse-training 
generally  arise  from  a  lack  of  understanding  of  the 
nature  of  the  animal,  and  without  such  an  understand- 
ing it  is  impossible  to  set  on  foot  a  system  which  shall 
be  definite  and  efficient.  Mr.  Dennis  Magner,  whose 
reputation  as  a  horse-trainer  is  very  extensive  in  this 
country,  states  that  'There  are  three  natural  difficul- 
ties which  present  themselves  in  the  outset  of  a  horse's 
education.  First,  the  horse  is  much  stronger  than 
man,  and  this  fact  the  animal  is  intelligent  enough  to 
perceive  very  promptly ;  and  if  he  can  impose  it  to 
improper  treatment  he  is  likely  to  do  it  and  thus  re- 
sist the  control  of  his  master,  and  whatever  gain  there 
is  on  his  part  in  such  resistance,  encourages  him  to 
further  impatience  of  control,  and  finally  he  may  be- 
come unmanageable  and  vicious. 

'' '  The  second  difficulty  arises  from  his  methods  of 
reasoning,  which  must  be  intelligently  exercised  so  as 
to  prevent  his  becoming  excited  or  frightened  at  boys 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET. 


141 


and  sounds  with  which  he  is  brought  in  contact. 
Through  his  active  senses  of  sight,  hearing,  and  feel- 
ing he  must  be  instructed  with  regard  to  their  inno- 
cent character. 

"'Third,  it  must  be  appreciated  that  a  horse  can 
not  understand  the  meaning  of  language  or  words  of 
command,  except  so  far  as  he  is  taught  to  associate 
them  with  actions ;  consequently,  it  is  not  to  be  ex- 


Fig.  2.— Vicious  and  Treacherous. 

pected  that  he  will  know  what  he  is  required  to  do 
unless  taught  and  shown  in  a  way  that  he  can  clearly 
comprehend.  We  see,  for  example,'  says  Mr.  Magner, 
'  that  if  a  horse  learn  to  pull  away,-  break  his  halter, 
resist  the  blacksmith  in  shoeing,  or  run  away,  he  will 
be  encouraged  to  do  so  afterward,  and  the  habit  may 
become  fixed.  On  the  other  hand,  when  a  colt  is  first 
haltered,  no  matter  how  hard  he  may  resist,  if  com- 
pelled at  length  to  submit,  he  will  be  likely  not  only 


142  HORSES: 

to  follow  without  restraint,  but  will  continue  to  do  so 
afterward  ;  also  when  the  feet  are  taken  up  and  handled 
until  an  operation  is  quietly  submitted  to,  or  such  re- 
straint is  brought  upon  the  mouth  as  will  overcome 
the  power  of  resistance,  he  will  not  only  submit  for  the 
time,  but  if  the  teaching  be  applied  properly,  inclina- 
tion to  resist  afterward  will  be  quite  overcome.' 

''  The  principle  of  this  reasoning  applies  as  well  to 
other  habits  of  the  horse.  Like  all  other  animals  of 
the  herbivorous  kind,  he  is  naturally  subject  to  the 
domination  of  man,  and  so  susceptible  to  traming; 
this  subjection  is  illustrated  in  every  type  of  horse,  it 
does  not  matter  how  wild  or  vicious  he  may  be,  if  his 
treatment  be  such  as  properly  considers  organization  ; 
in  other  words,  is  founded  upon  a  thorough  under- 
standing of  the  horse  nature.  Having  become  once  im- 
pressed by  the  superior  power  of  his  master  through  the 
element  of  fear,  his  fear  overcome  and  supplemented 
by  kind  treatment  he  will  not  only  exhibit  submission 
without  the  use  of  force  or  restraint,  but  he  will  re- 
main so  if  not  abused  or  excited.  The  horse  is  ever 
subject  to  disturbance  by  the  occurrence  of  unusual 
sounds,  especially  those  which  arise  from  something 
in  contact  with  his  body,  and  in  this  case  a  noise, 
especially  if  suddenly  made,  is  likely  to  excite  intense 
fear  or  resistance,  and  he  will  be  likely  to  be  afraid  of 
it  ever  afterward.  A  new  object  should  be  brought 
slowly  and  gentjy  to  a  horse's  notice ;  he  should  be 
permitted  to  smell  and  feel  of  it,  then  it  can  soon  be 
placed  on  or  around  him  without  causing  the  least 
fear.    It  does  not  matter  whether  while  in  harness  the 


Prince  George    of  Wales,   No.   933   American    Clydesdale    Stud    Book,   imported    by^ 

Galbraith  Bros.,  Janesville,  Wis.     Color,  jet  black  ;  seven  years  old  ;  weighs  2,000  lbs. 

Sire,  Prince  of  Wales  (673).     Dam,  well-known  Jessie  Brown. 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET. 


143 


cross-piece  falls  across  the  quarters,  or  an  umbrella  is 
raised  behind  or  the  whistle  of  a  steam  engine  is  heard, 
if  the  horse  have  been  shown  or  introduced  carefully 
to  these  things,  he  will  not  be  seriously  disturbed  by 
them ;  whereas  their  sudden  occurrence  may  be  pro- 
ductive of  most  dangerous  and  persistent  effects. 

"  Third,  in  relation  to  teaching  the  meaning  of  the 
sounds  or  words  of  command,  using  the  language  of 
Mr.  Magner,  *  it  is  evident  that  if  a  man  were  to  sit  on 


Fig.  3.— Willful  and  Spirited. 

a  block  and  simply  read  the  word  whoa ;  to  a  horse, 
he  might  do  it  indefinitely  without  teaching  him  its 
meaning ;  but  if  a  horse  were  moved,  set  in  moderate 
action,  and  immediately  after  the  command  the  reins 
were  pulled  sufficiently  hard  to  make  him  stop,  he 
would  after  a  few  repetitions  of  the  command  learn  to 
stop,  and  that  without  the  reins  being  pulled.  Or  in 
teaching  to  back,  if  after  the  command  were  given  the 
reins  were  pulled  upon  sufficiently  to  force  him  back- 
ward, he  would  after  a  few  repetitions  learn  to  back 


T44 


HORSES: 


freely  of  his  own  accord  at  the  word,  to  avoid  the  un- 
pleasant effect  of  the  pulling.' 

"■  In  further  illustration  of  this  principle,  Mr.  Magnet 
goes  on  to  say  how  a  horse  may  be  taught  a  few  tricks. 
If  it  is  desired  to  teach  a  horse  to  make  a  bow,  for 
instance,  first  prick  him  lightly  on  the  back  with  a  pin, 
and  repeat  this  until  in  his  efforts  to  avoid  the  annoy- 


DociLE,  Kind,  and  Intelligent. 


ance  he  drops  his  head,  then  instantly  stop  the  prick- 
ing and  caress  him  ;  repeat  the  pricking  until  he  has 
again  dropped  his  head,  then  caress  him  and  give  him 
something  of  which  he  is  fond  ;  continue  this  method 
until  at  the  instant  the  motion  is  made  toward  the 
back  he  will  drop  his  head.  To  teach  him  to  kick  up, 
simply  prick  him  on  the  rump  until  there  is  an  incli- 
nation to  kick  up,  when,  as  before,  stop  and  caress  him  ; 
so  repeat  until  the  least  motion  toward  the  rump  leads 


THEIR  FEED  AND   THEIR  FEET. 


45 


to  the  effect  desired.  Teaching  any  kind  of  trick  the 
principle  is  the  same,  the  difference  being  only  that 
instead  of  a  pin  other  means  suitable  to  the  case  must 
be  used.  To  teach  tricks  by  the  word  would  be  nec- 
essary to  repeat  the  command  and  associate  the  act 
with  it.  Care  should  always  be  taken  against  confus- 
ing or  exciting  the  animal,  and  but  one  trick  at  a  time 
should  be  impressed  upon  him,  the  process  being  care- 


Fig.  5.— Excitable  and  Obstinate. 

fully  and  slowly  repeated  until  no  mistake  is  made. 
Of  course,  as  horses  differ  much  in  intelligence,  some 
will  acquire  their  lessons  more  promptly  than  others, 
and  more  can  be  expected  in  the  way  of  performance 
from  some,  to  have  prompt  obedience  at  the  word  of 
command.  Such  an  animal  as  the  one  in  the  illustra- 
tions (Fig.  I  or  Fig.  4)  can  be  readily  taught  to  do  un- 
usual things.  For  the  execution  of  any  trick  or  move- 
ment  the  exact  signal  or  word  which  it  is  customary 


146  HORSES: 

to  give  in  teaching  it  should  always  be  repeated ;  the 
tone  or  pitch  of  the  voice  should  be  carefully  regarded, 
otherwise  the  horse  may  mistake  on  the  instant  what 
is  wanted  of  him,  and  consequently  be  unable  to  obey. 
Such  an  animal  as  that  in  Fig.  3  or  Fig.  7  would  test 
the  patience  of  any  trainer;  bad  habits,  cunning,  and 
vicious  action  are  to  be  expected  from  such  a  physi- 
ognomy. But  the  defects  of  organization  in  such  ani 
mals  are  usually  increased  by  bad  treatment. 

"  The  principle  of  kindness  in  training  is  potent  in 
relation  to  a  horse  just  as  it  is  in  relation  to  our  influ- 
ence upon  our  human  brothers.  If  a  man,  for  instance, 
were  strong  enough  to  take  a  bully  by  the  shoulders 
and  shake  him  so  thoroughly  as  to  show  him  that  he 
had  power  to  control  him  as  he  pleased,  and  then 
afterward  treat  him  with  kindness,  the  effect  would 
be  far  better  in  establishing  a  relation  of  friendship 
and  subservience  on  the  part  of  the  bully,  than  if  the 
latter  were  merely  impressed  that  he  was  kept  under, 
or  subjected  by  dint  of  the  superior  force  of  the  other ; 
in  truth,  it  is  not  likely  that  the  rough  fellow  would 
maintain  a  very  pleasant  feeling  for  his  superior,  if  the 
contest  were  carried  on  in  the  presence  of  others,  so 
that  his  self-respect  were  affected,  his  low  jealousy 
aroused.  If  a  man  could  control  a  horse  by  putting 
his  arms  around  his  body,  and  thus  prevent  his  strug- 
gling and  becoming  excited,  and  until  the  muscles 
were  entirely  relaxed,  and  then  further  win  his  confi- 
dence by  kindness,  caressing  and  so  on,  the  subjuga- 
tion obtained  would  be  of  the  most  efficient  kind  ;  but 
as  there  is  not  strength  enough  in  human  nature  to 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET, 


147 


do  this,  recourse  must  be  had  to  such  means  as  will 
approach  as  near  in  principle  to  it  as  possible.  If  the 
horse  be  given  such  freedom  as  to  encourage  his  con- 
fidence in  resisting,  or  if  his  willful,  vicious  nature  be 
stimulated  by  ignorant,  abusive  treatment,  and  he 
should  in  his  excitement  and  fury  resist  earnestly,  de- 
spite of  the  most  severe  punishment,  it  is  no  more 


Fig.  6.— Slow,  Dull,  Obtuse. 

than  should  be  expected,  and  at  the  same  time  we 
would  have  a  manifestation  of  the  real  cause  to  be 
overcome  by  our  treatment.  The^  manifestation  pro- 
ceeds from  a  condition  of  the  brain  just  as  mental 
phenomena  in  man  arise,  and  this  condition  has  been 
produced  by  erroneous  treatment ;  and  to  secure  the 
desired  result  of  submission  a  method  must  be  put  in 
operation  for  the  production  of  a  differe-nt  me-jital 


148  HOI^SES: 

state ;  the  fear  of  the  animal  must  be  checked  and 
modified,  and  his  confidence  and  good-nature  gained. 
In  the  meantime  strong  physical  means  of  control  are 
legitimate  as  a  temporary  expedient,  so  as  to  secure 
that  mental  state  which  will  lead  to  success.  If  he 
has  been  unduly  stimulated  by  fear,  then  the  horse 
should  be  shown  that  there  is  no  cause  for  fear ;  if 
through  certain  qualities  of  viciousness,  then  those 
qualities  should  be  modified  through  measures  which 
shall  calm  and  soothe  the  brain  excitement  which  pro- 
duces them.  Kindness  will  accomplish  much  even 
with  a  stubborn,  willful  character  like  Fig.  3.  We 
should  always  give  a  horse  some  credit  for  reason  and 
allow  him  a  little  latitude  as  it  were  for  reflection. 
Treating  him  much  as  a  child  whose  disposition  we 
understand,  will  have  a  similar  effect. 

"  The  reader  who  is  familiar  with  horses  will  recog- 
nize in  the  illustrations  traits  of  horse  physiognomy 
frequently  met  with.  Fig.  i  shows  the  type  of  intel- 
ligence, high  blood  and  docility ;  while  Fig.  2  (from 
life)  indicates  the  vicious  and  treacherous  type,  the 
animal  against  whom  it  is  well  to  be  wary.  Fig.  3  is 
an  animal  that  will  tax  the  strength  of  his  owner  to 
keep  in  training.  He  is  spirited,  excitable,  and  '  off 
the  handle  '  often.  Fig.  4  is  a  good  fellow,  docile, 
yet  possessing  spirit  and  intelligence — the  horse  for 
the  family  that  will  be  kind  to  and  appreciative  of  him. 
Fig.  5  requires  a  gentle,  but  strong  hand.  A  '  high- 
strung,'  nervous  fellow  is  he — needing  no  whip  or 
spur,  but  will  '  go  *  while  he  can  stand.  Fig.  5  is  a 
very  sensitive  animal ;  flies  and  mosquitos  annov  him 


THEIR  FEED  AND  THEIR  FEET 


149 


greatly;  his  skin  is  thin  and  his  blood  hot.  In  Fig.  6 
we  have  a  specimen  of  the  heavy,  dull,  stupid  horse  ; 
the  one  that  '  any  one  can  drive,'  but  is  rarely  driven 
off  a  walk,  or  a  very  sluggish  infrequent  '  lope.'  He's 
the  horse  to  try  the  patience  of  a  saint,  when  a  little 
behind  time  for  the  train.  Fig.  7  requires  an  excep- 
tionally good  driver  to  manage  him ;  he  must  be 
watched  or  some  dangerous  trick  of  his  may  suddenly 


Fig.  7.— Very  Excitable  and  Incorrigible. 

astonish  his  owner.  He'll  nab  the  unwary  bystander 
on  the  shoulder,  or  perhaps  seem  disposed  to  make  a 
brief  luncheon  of  his  hat.  He  has  a  wild-looking  eye, 
and  the  head-lock  falls  in  an  unsteady  corkscrew  way 
down  over  his  forehead,  in  itself  suggestive  of  un- 
trustworthiness.  Compare  Figs,  ^i  or  4  with  Figs.  2, 
5,  6,  and  7.  and  see  how  wide  the  differences  of  char- 
acter shown  even  by  engravings. 


APPENDIX  TO  SECOND  EDITION. 

The  Principles  advocated  throughout  this 
Book  indorsed  by  Prof.  Knapp,  of  the  Iowa 
Improved  Stock-Breeding  Association. 

[From  the  Tribune  of  Nov.  3,  1883.] 
HOW   TO    RAISE   HORSES. 

To  bring  colts  to  maturity  best  prepared  for  many 
years  of  usefulness,  was  a  question  considered  by  the 
Iowa  Improved  Stock-Breeders'  Association.  Prof. 
Knapp  said  that  overfeeding  these  animals  costs  the 
people  of  the  State  not  less  than  $15,000,000  per 
annum.* 

"  Two  quarts  of  oats  and  two  ears  of  corn  twice  a 
day  is  liberal  feeding,  but  the  colt  would  eat  twice  as 
much  and  not  be  as  strong.  I  have  tried  it  over  and 
over  again  ;   I  challenge  the  world  to  that   contest. 


*  Prof.  Knapp' s  estimate  of  the  cost  of  overfeeding  included,  it  is  to  be 
pre  umed,  the  injury  to  health,  lost  time,  and  premature  death  of  horses 
thus  treated.  Fully  a  quarter  of  a  million  infants  (to  say  nothing  of  children 
and  adult  voluntary  gourmands)  are  stamped  out  of  existence  every  year  in 
this  country  alone  by  this  same  process.  That  is,  the  combined  influence  of 
overfeeding  and  under-exercising  (infants  being  held  and  wheeled  constantly 
instead  of  being  largely  left  to  their  own  resources  something  like  other 
younglings),  makes  fat,  soft  {i.  e.^  "  iU-conditioned "),  and,  consequently, 
short-lived  babies. 

See  the  author's  work  on  Infant  Dietetics,  "  How  to  Feed  the  Baby,"  by 
C.  E.  Page,  JI.D.,  pages  180,  price  50  cents.     New  York  :  Fowler  &  Wells. 

(151) 


152  HORSES. 

Giving  more  grain  makes  rapid  growth,  but  is  like 
stuffing  an  animal  for  market.  When  you  desire  to 
produce  horses  for  endurance  or  breeding  they  must 
be  matured  more  slowly.  Barrenness,  when  existing, 
is  produced  nine  times  out  of  ten  by  this  stuffing 
process.     It  ruins  the  health  of  stock  of  all  kinds." 

Interesting  facts  to  the  same  effect  were  presented 
by  Mr.  Wallace,  who  makes  it  a  point  to  spend  a 
month  once  a  year  in  Pittsburg,  a  noted  market  for 
horses  : 

'*  I  have  gone  among  the  liverymen  and  railroad 
contractors  and  teamsters — men  who  use  the  heaviest 
kind  of  horses  and  put  them  to  the  hardest  kind  of 
work — and  asked  them  where  they  get  their  horses 
and  which  kinds  they  prefer.  Said  one  gentleman  : 
'  We  used  to  get  our  horses  from  Kentucky  ;  but  now 
these  Kentuckians  have  got  in  the  habit  of  pushing 
their  horses  too  fast  ;  after  the  manner  of  pushing 
beef  cattle.  We  want  a  horse  that  has  grown  on  hilly 
ground  somewhat  rocky,  with  a  limestone  soil.  We 
want  him  kept  until  he  is  three  years  old  with  a  good 
fair  diet,  plenty  of  exercise,  and  not  kept  closely  in 
the  barn.  Otherwise  we  are  obliged  to  keep  them  a 
year  before  they  are  able  to  stand  any  work.'  " 

RUNNING  DOWN   ON   TWO    MEALS. 

A  friend  who  became  very  much  impressed  with 
the  alleged  advantages  of  the  two-meal-a-day  system, 
gave  it  a  trial  with  his  own  horse,  and  came  near 
abandoning  the   experiment    as  a  failure.     His  horse 


APPENDIX  TO  SECOND  EDITION,  153 

**  began  to  run  down,"  as  he  said,  "  and  became 
quite  seedy";  so  much  so  that  the  experimenter  grew 
ashamed  of  the  animal's  appearance.  There  was  in 
this  case  no  question  but  what  the  amount  given  was 
liberal  enough  (unless  his  own  stable-man  deceived 
him — which  he  felt  sure  was  not  the  case),  but  the 
truth  in  the  matter  was  simply  this  :  the  horse  was 
fat.  His  work  had  been  light,  and  his  diet  heavy. 
Accustomed  to  his  over-liberal  feed  every  five  or  six 
hours,  he  had  become  really  unsound  throughout,  as 
explained  on  page  21  (''A  Soft  Horse").  He  had  to 
be  built  from  the  ground  up,  as  per  examples  on  pages 
17-20-24-25,  or  else  remain  as  he  was,  unfit  for  hard 
service  and  predisposed  to  sickness.  He  finally 
worked  the  case  out  successfully.  With  horses  that 
are  and  have  long  been  "  out  of  form,"  i.  e.,  pretty 
thoroughly  degenerated  (and  the  older  the  creature 
and  the  longer  he  has  been  thus  diseased,  the  worse 
for  him),  any  radical  change — whether  increase  of 
work,  decrease  of  food,  or  less  frequent  meals — would 
speedily  "  show  them  up  " — expose  their  real  condi- 
tion ;  but  if  the  regular  daily  exercise  is  maintained 
no  animal  will  shrink  in  muscle,  however  much  he 
may  in  weight.  He  has,  we  will  assume,  taken  on 
(and  in  and  through)  himself  a  large  amount  of  fat, 
because  overfed  and  underworked.  His  muscles  are 
honeycombed  with  fat  ;  but  being  stimulated  with  a 
meal  every  few  hours  he  maintains  an  appearance  of 
strength,  as,  on  account  of  fat,  he  does  of  condition — 
can  travel  sharp  and  strong  for  a  short  distance.  If 
sent  on  a  long  journey  he  is  used  up  for  several  days. 


154  •  HORSES. 

Put  him  to  hard,  steady  work  and  he  will  possibly- 
pass  through  the  "seedy"  stage,  which  is,  neverthe- 
less, a  curative  stage.  At  first  he  acts  weak — he  is 
weak — but  the  effect  will  be,  if  the  new  regimen 
be  persevered  in,  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  dis- 
temper or  other  forms  of  disease  which  would  very 
likely  "  attack  "  him,  sooner  or  later,  if  continued  on 
the  old  regimen  ;  and  in  a  reasonable  time  (depend- 
ing upon  the  degree  of  his  disease,  natural  constitu- 
tion, and  the  discretion  or  tact  of  his  trainer  or  at- 
tendant) he  will  be  in  every  way  improved.  Speak- 
ing from  a  worldly-wise  stand-point,  it  may  be  said 
that  if  a  man  owns  a  fat  horse  and  wants  to  sell  him 
to  the  best  advantage,  he  should  find  a  fool  and  sell. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  he  has  a  naturally  fine  animal 
disordered  in  this  manner,  and  desires,  for  his  own 
satisfaction  or  use,  to  make  him  trustworthy,  there  is 
but  one  way  to  do  it,  viz.  :  to  inaugurate  a  system 
of  regular  and  tolerably  hard  service,  and,  of  course, 
give  him  enough  to  eat,  whether  at  two  or  three 
meals  a  day.  At  the  same  time,  if  his  fat  horse  is 
satisfactory  as  he  is  ;  if  he  never  expects  to  have 
occasion  to  make  any  sudden  heavy  demands  upon 
him,  in  the  shape  of  long  hard  drives  ;  if  he  doesn't 
want  the  bother  of  remodeling  him,  preferring  to 
take  the  chances  of  his  getting  sick  and  getting  out 
of  it  without  serious  inconvenience,  why,  he  had  best 
keep  right  along  in  the  old  way. 


APPENDIX  TO  SECOND  EDITION.  155 

ST.  JULIEN  AND  JAY-EYE-SEE. 

A  "  POINT  "    LEARNED   TOO   LATE  FOR  THE  GOOD  OF 
"THE  OLD  horse":    IMPORTANCE  OF  HARD  WORK 

(see  pp.  19-77). 

On  the  day  before  the  great  race  at  Fleetwood  be- 
tween these  famous  horses,  the  Sim  printed  the  fol- 
lowing : 

( The  day  before^ 

"  JAY-EYE-SEE   ARRIVES,   LOOKING  TIRED. 

"  Jay-Eye-See,  Mr.  Case's  wonderful  little  five-year- 
old,  left  Boston  on  Wednesday  night,  and  arrived  at 
Fleetwood  Park  at  8:40  o'clock  yesterday  morning. 
He  looked  tired.  He  had  been  shipped  here  after 
trotting  a  hard  contest,  and  had  had  no  rest.  Edwin 
Bithers,  his  driver,  remained  in  Boston  to  drive  Phal- 
las.     Mr.  Case  will  be  here  to-morrow  morning. 

''  Of  St.  Julien's  chance  in  the  great  trot,  Hickok 
said  : 

"  '  I  don't  believe  the  old  horse  can  be  beaten  on 
this  track  on  Saturday.  He  is  working  well,  and  / 
have  not  yet  sent  him  to  the  top  of  his  speed.'^  The 
fastest  miles  I  have  given  him  here  were  in  2:I4|,  and 
2:15-1,  and  yesterday  1  jogged  him  a  viile  in  2:17.'"^ 

"  The  betting  on  the  trot  is  at  the  rate  of  $ico  to 
$60  on  St.  Julien  to  win.  It  is  believed  that  10,000 
persons  will  be  present  to  see  the  contest." 

It  was  my  belief,  and  I  said  repeatedly  on  the  day  of 


*  The  italics  are  my  own. 


156  '  HORSES. 

the  race — predicting  the  result — that  Jay-Eye-See's 
hard  work  of  late  would  ensure  him  a  victory.  If 
Mr.  Hickok  had  "  sent  St.  Julien  to  the  top  of  his 
speed  "  frequently  for  weeks  before  this  race,  instead 
of  being  content  with  fair  work  and  ''  jogging,"  he 
would  have  given  the  little  Westerner  a  harder  task. 

On  the  day  after  the  race,  viz.,  Sunday,  September 
30,  1883,  Mr.  Hickok  seems  to  have  thoroughly  learned 
the  advantage  of  plenty  of  work  "  to  stay  up  the  mus- 
cles," according  to  the  following  from  the  same  paper : 

{The  day  after) 
"  ST.   JULIEN   AND   JAY-EYE-SEE. 

"  Mr.  O.  A.  Hickok,  part  owner  and  driver  of  St. 
Julien,  said  yesterday  that  his  horse  was  short  of 
work  to  stay  up  his  muscles.  *  What  I  mean  by  that 
is,'  he  said,  '  that  he  hasn't  had  a  hard,  bruising  race 
this  season,  where  he  was  put  up  to  the  top  notch  by 
such  a  steady  horse  as  Jay-Eye-See.'  " 

What  makes  such  horses  as  this  .^^  This  is  what 
made  Jay-Eye-See  ;  and  the  same  combination  will 
make  others  like  him  :  To  begin  with,  he  was  "  born 
so  "  !  Who  was  his  father  ?  Who  was  his  mother  ? 
Who  were  his  grandparents,  on  both  sides  of  the 
house?  This  is  what  makes  the  possibilities,  the 
probabilities,  indeed,  if  not  the  guaranty,  of  kind, 
handsome,  vigorous  and  able  men,  women,  horses,  or 
any  other  creatures.  Inheritance  of  a  high  order — noth- 
ing else  is  certain.  Like  produces  like.  Second  :  He 
fortunately  came  into  the  possession,  at  an  early  age, 


APPENDIX  TO  SECOND  EDITION.  157 

of  a  man  who,  if  we  may  be  pardoned  the  egotism, 
knew  just  what  this  book  aims  to  teach,  so  far  as 
concerns  the  absolute  necessity  of  plenty  of  hard  and 
sharp  exercise  in  order  (having  the  stuff  to  work  on) 
to  develop  the  growing  animal  in  the  best  possible 
manner,  and  having  thus  developed  him,  to  keep  him 
in  condition.  There  is,  in  the  rearing  of  colts,  occa- 
sion for  the  use  of  much  discretion,  but  nothing  is 
more  certain,  to  my  mind,  than  that  many  a  good 
horse  is  spoiled  from  overfeeding  and  underworking 
during  the  growing  stage.  He  should  not  be  a  fat- 
ling,  a  soft-shell,  during  this  period,  nor  ever  after, 

THE   ONLY   WAY   TO   DO    IT. 

Hanlan,  the  oarsman,  v/orks  very  hard.  "  I  have 
traveled  thirty  miles  to-day,"  he  is  quoted  as  saying, 
"  and  all  with  my  own  wind  and  muscle.  I  went 
about  twenty  of  it  in  my  boat,  and  the  rest  on  my 
legs.  Oh,  no  ;  that  is  not  exceptional.  I  do  as  much 
as  that  every  day,  from  early  in  the  spring  until  late 
in  the  fall.  You  see  my  races  are  rather  frequent,  and 
it  is  necessary  that  I  should  keep  myself  constantly 
in  perfect  condition.  I  am,  therefore,  in  training  all 
the  time.  My  diet  is  always  as  carefully  regulated  as' 
though  I  was  to  pull  a  race  next  day."  Hanlan  never 
drinks  a  drop  of  alcohol  in  any  fofm. 

FLAT-FOOTED    OPINION  ABOUT   NON-SHOEING. 

H,  Reynolds,  M.D.,  of  Livermore  Falls,  Me.,  writes 
to  the  Sun  as  follows  : 


158  HORSES. 

"  MY   EXPERIENCE   WITH   AN   UNSHOD   HORSE 

**  There  is  no  doubt  that  some  horses  may  be  dri  -  eii 
over  our  common  roads  daily  for  months,  and  perhaps 
years,  without  being  shod.  In  September,  1882,  I 
bought  a  mare  whose  hind  feet  were  not  shod.  She 
had  raised  a  colt,  and  had  been  running  in  the  pasture 
all  summer  without  being  shod.  Before  I  purchased 
her  she  had  been  shod  forward.  Thinking  it  a  favor- 
able opportunity  to  test  the  question  of  allowing 
horses  to  go  unshod,  I  determined  to  try  the  experi- 
ment. This  mare  I  used  in  the  practice  of  my  pro- 
fession as  a  physician,  driving  her  daily  from  Septem- 
ber till  some  time  in  March,  when  I  traded  her  for 
another  horse.  During  this  time  I  had  no  shoes  put 
upon  the  hind  feet.  I  drove  her  over  hard,  stony, 
dry  roads,  muddy  roads,  frozen  and  rough  roads,  and 
on  snow  and  ice,  and  her  hind  feet  never  failed  her, 
nor  did  they  suffer  for  the  want  of  shoes.  The  hoof 
seemed  to  grow  as  fast  as  it  wore  away.  Around  the 
rim  of  the  hoof  there  was  a  hard  ridge  of  horn,  bev- 
eled by  use  both  on  the  inside  and  outside,  completely 
taking  the  place  of  a  shoe.  This  horse  did  not  *  ball 
up '  when  the  snow  was  soft,  nor  slip  on  the  ice  more 
than  any  other  horse  which  was  kept  well  shod.  It 
is  true  it  was  a  favorable  winter  as  to  ice,  there  being 
very  little  of  it  in  the  roads.  My  experience  with 
that  horse  convinced  me  that  an  unshod  horse  could 
endure  as  much  driving  on  ordinary  country  roads  as 
a  shod  horse.  Whether  all  horses  could  do  the  same 
is  another  question.     Undoubtedly  there  is  much  dif- 


APPENDIX  TO  SECOND  EDITION,  159 

ference  in  the  hardness  and  toughness  of  different 
horses'  feet.  Some,  perhaps,  would  require  shoeing, 
while  others  would  not.  If  I  had  a  colt  which  had 
not  been  shod,  I  should  drive  him  without  shoeing 
until  I  saw  that  he  needed  shoeing. 

"  USING  FARM  HORSES  UNSHOD. 
"  Many  if  not  all  farm  horses  might  advantageously 
go  without  shoes,  at  least  during  the  summer  months. 
As  the  experience  of  those  who  have  tested  the 
method  is  of  more  value  than  any  mere  theorizing, 
let  us  hear  what  a  Michigan  farmer  says  in  a  commu- 
nication to  the  Tribiuie  on  this  matter.  He  says: 
*  For  fifteen  years  I  have  made  it  a  practice  to  take 
the  shoes  off  of  all  my  horses  when  beginning  spring 
work,  and  let  them  go  barefoot  until  fall,  and  I  find 
that  they  can  do  all  the  farm  work  as  well  as  when 
shod.  I  have  no  trouble  about  driving  on  the  road, 
except  when  drawing  heavy  loads  up  slippery  hills  ; 
if  hills  are  dry,  I  know  a  team  can  draw  as  heavy 
loads  barefoot  as  when  shod,  and  I  think  a  horse  can 
travel  easier  and  better  on  good  sleighing  without 
shoes  ;  but  in  this  part  of  the  country  there  are  apt 
to  be  so  many  icy  spots  during  the  winter  that  I  keep 

my  horses  shod  then I  have  never  had  a  horse 

with  bad  feet  since  letting  them  go  barefoot  in  sum- 
mer, and  when  they  are  shod  their  shoes  stay  on  much 
better  than  when  I  kept  them  shod  all  the  time.' 

''A   CONNECTICUT   FARMER 
who  had  tried  working  horses  unshod  says  :  '  I  find 
they  work  better,  more  sure-footed,  and  are  far  less 


l6o  HORSES. 

liable  to  lameness  than  when  shod,  and  I  am  well  sat- 
isfied that  horses'  feet,  as  nature  made  them,  are  all- 
sufficient  for  ordinary  work,  and,  I  believe,  for  extra- 
ordinary work.  After  my  long  experience,  I  should 
now  as  soon  think  of  going  to  a  farrier  myself  to  be 
shod  as  to  send  my  horses  for  that  purpose.  What 
surprised  me  most  was  that  one  of  my  horses  was 
continually  falling  lame,  and  we  never  could  discover 
the  cause  ;  but  since  she  has  been  worked  without 
shoes  she  has  never  shown  the  least  symptoms  of 
lameness,  and  never  stumbled,  which  she  did  very 
much  when  shod,  from  which  I  infer  that  the  paring 
the  soles  when  shoeing  made  her  feet  very  tender, 
and  was  the  cause  of  all  the  trouble.  Our  roads  are 
rough,  hilly,  and  stony,  much  more  so  than  average 
roads,  so  that  my  success  can  not  be  attributed  to 
superiority  in  this  respect.  Equestrians  would  find 
it  far  safer  to  use  horses  without  shoes,  as  the  sole 
becomes  so  hard  as  to  be  non-sensitive  to  small 
stones,  and  the  animals  are  thus  far  less  liable  to 
stumble.' 

"  HOW   TO   MAKE   THE   CHANGE. 

"  Horses  which  have  been  accustomed  to  wearing 
shoes  can  not  be  driven  on  hard  roads  without  shoes 
until  the  hoofs  have  had  time  to  grow  out  and  be 
prepared  for  the  change.  If  the  horse  can  be  turned 
out  to  pasture  a  few  months,  the  hoofs  will  have  am- 
ple time  to  grow  out  and  become  adapted  to  the 
change.  In  two  months  a  horse  can,  with  care,  be 
brought  into  readiness  for  use  without  shoes.     In  re- 


APPENDIX  TO  SECOND  EDITION.  i6l 

gard  to  this  method,  Col.  M.  C.  Weld  says  :  *  The 
shoes  should  be  left  on  as  long  as  they  will  hold,  in 
order  that  when  taken  off  there  shall  be  a  wide  rim 
of  horn  all  around  the  hoof  to  be  cut  away.  This 
would  otherwise  have  to  grow  out  before  it  could  be 
removed  either  by  the  knife,  by  the  rasp,  or  by  wear. 
Then  the  horse  should  be  turned  out  to  pasture  or 
used  only  for  farm  work.  Every  few  days  his  feet 
should  be  examined,  and  rasped  off  if  necessary.  As 
the  wall  of  the  hoof  grows  and  wears,  the  extreme 
outer  edge  all  around  will  be  level,  or  nearly  level, 

with   the  inner  edge  of   the  wall The  first 

changed  appearance  of  the  hoof  that  will  be  noticed 
after  the  shoes  are  removed  will  be  the  growth  of  a 
healthy  rim  of  new  horn-,  seen  under  the  hairs  of  the 
coronet ;  next,  a  widening  or  spreading  of  the  heel  and 
an  enlargement  of  the  frog.  It  takes  a  full  year  for 
the  whole  hoof  to  grow  out  and  off  ;  consequently  it 
takes  nearly  that  time  for  a  contracted,  high-heeled, 
frogless  foot  to  assume  its  normal  form.  In  the  win- 
ter a  barefooted  horse  will  not  ball  and  will  not  slip 
if  he  knows  he  is  on  the  ice,  and,  if  he  comes  upon  it 
unawares,  he  gets  his  footing  almost  immediately.  I 
have  never  had  a  horse  slip  badly  even  on  ice  covered 
with  snow.  The  danger  is  not  to  be  compared  with 
that  to  a  shod  horse  with  snowballs  attached  to  each 
foot,  coming  upon  an  icy  spot,  as  often  happens.  If 
heavy  loads  are  to  be  drawn,  shoes  with  calks  are 
needed,  especially  in  starting  and  going  up  icy  hills. 
For  general  driving  in  the  country,  for  farm  use,  and 
for  ordinary  road  use,  when  the  labor  is  not  severe, 


1 62  HORSES. 

unshod  horses  are  safer,  sounder,  pleasanter  to  drive, 
and  more  economical  than  if  shod.  Stumbling  rarely 
occurs.  Cutting,  interfering,  overreaching,  and  forg- 
ing never.' 

"A    LARGE    PART    OF    THE    SHOES     MIGHT    BE    DIS- 
PENSED  WITH. 

"  In  view  of  the  testimony  advanced  in  favor  of 
unshod  horses,  it  is  evident  that  many  of  our  horses 
might  go  without  being  shod.  All  such  as  are  troub- 
led with  stumbling,  interfering,  overreaching,  forging, 
contracted  feet,  corns,  and  other  affections  incident 
to  shoeing,  certainly  could  advantageously  be  allowed 
to  go  without  shoeing."^  Colts  which  never  have 
been  shod  should  not  be  shod  until  there  seems  to 
be  actually  need  of  it.  Work  horses  used  for  drawing 
heavy  loads  will  probably  require  shoeing  in  winter. 
On  the  whole,  it  seems  probable  that  the  larger  part 
of  the  horseshoeing  might  be  dispensed  with,  and 
the  horses  would  prove  as  serviceable  at  least  as  at 
present." 

The  London  Live  Stock  Journal,  commenting  upon 
the  subject  of 

THE   SHOELESS   HORSE, 
says  : 

"  Mr.  R.  A.  Luck's  horse,  entered  into  the  trades- 
man's class  at  Darlington,  for  the  purpose  of  allowing 
persons  interested  with  the  question  of  the  shoeing 


*  Query  :  If  such  animals  can  be  improved,  perhaps  cured,  by  taking  off 
their  shoes,  is  it  not  probable  that  such  disorders  would  be  prevented  by  th» 
same  means,  or  by  never  beginning  the  practice  of  shoeing  ? 


APPENDIX  TO  SECOND  EDITION,  163 

of  horses  the  opportunity  of  inspecting  the  feet  of  a 
horse  that  had  done  hard  work  on  macadamized  roads 
without  shoes,'  attracted  considerable  attention.  Ex- 
perienced farriers,  huntsmen,  farmers,  tradesmen,  and 
gentlemen  were  to  be  seen  in  groups  round  the  horse 
all  the  afternoon,  critically  examining  its  hoofs.  The 
curiosity  evinced  was  not  surprising,  nor  the  skepti- 
cism with  which  the  various  inspections  were  made, 
and  not  less  noticeable  was  the  general  astonishment 
and  wonder  expressed  at  the  remarkable  results  of 
Mr.  Luck's  experiment.  It  is  so  universally  believed 
(says  The  Dailington  Times)  that  the  shoeing  of  horses 
is  absolutely  necessary,  that  it  appeared  almost  in 
credible  that  an  animal  which  had  been  unsound  in 
its  feet  could  be  made  sound  by  abandoning  shoeing; 
and  more  than  this,  that  it  could,  after  nearly  a  year's 
regular  work  over  country  and  town  roads,  show  such 
perfect  hoofs.  The  development  of  the  feet  was  a 
constant  source  of  wonder,  and  Mr.  Luck,  who  cour- 
teously explained  the  circumstances  of  the  experiment, 
must  have  been  somewhat  wearied  at  having  to  ex- 
plain in  detail  so  often  how  he  had  succeeded.  It  is 
no  exaggeration  to  say — indeed,  it  was  admitted  by  all 
who  saw  the  animal — that  no  horse  on  the  field  pos- 
sessed four  sounder  or  better  feet,  and  this  simply  by 
allowing  nature  to  have  her  own  way.  No  task  is 
more  difficult  than  to  root  out  long-accepted  ideas, 
and  we  can  scarcely  expect  that  a  tithe  of  those  who 
yesterday  admitted  the  success  so  clearly  demon- 
strated will  forthwith  abandon  shoeing  as  an  un- 
necessary practice  ;   but  wherever  men  interested  in 


1 64  HORSES. 

horses  congregate  together,  the  subject  will  be  a 
theme  of  discussion*  for  the  next  nine  days.  Nothing 
more  surprising  was  seen  at  the  show,  and  not  a  few 
were  convinced  against  their  will  that  what  they  had 
hitherto  regarded  as  impossible,  had  actually  been 
achieved.  In  many  parts  of  the  country  we  under- 
stand gentlemen  are  regularly  working  unshod  horses, 
and  with  equally  satisfactory  results  to  those  demon- 
strated yesterday,  and  doubtless  ere  long  Mr.  Luck 
will  find  many  imitators  in  the  north." 

D.  M.  A.  has  this  to  say  to  the  editors  of  the  In- 
diana Farmer  on 

UNSHOD   HORSES. 

"  There  was  a  clipping  in  the  Farmer  a  few  weeks 
ago,  saying  that  they  wished  that  some  one  would 
perfect  a  breed  of  horses  that  could  work  without 
shoes.  We  have  such  a  breed  now.  If  farmers  would 
try  it  they  would  find  that  the  most  of  our  horses 
can  go  without  shoes,  and  have  better  feet  than  those 
that  have  shoes.  I  have  had  but  few  horses  shod  for 
twenty  years.  In  that  time  I  have  not  had  a  lame 
horse.  The  only  time  we  need  shoes  is  when  the 
road  is  icy,  and  then,  if  the  shoes  are  not  sharp,  a 
horse  will  slip  more  than  if  they  had  none.  I  have 
had  Clydesdales  and  other  horses,  and  any  of  them 
can  travel  twenty-five  miles  on  a  gravel  road  and 
never  flinch.  A  horse's  feet  are  like  a  person's  ;  if 
they  are  kept  shod  the  foot  becomes  brittle  and  ten- 
der.    If  not  shod  they  become  hard  and  tough." 


APPENDIX  TO  SECOND  EDITION.  165 

REASON   FOR   SHOEING. 

The  only  good  reason  for  shoeing  a  horse  Is  that  he 
has  been  shod.  This  is  about  as  vaHd  as  the  analogous 
excuse  for  a  man's  drinking  whiskey.  The  man  who  has 
taken  his  regular  ''  nipper  "  every  day  would  be  hardly 
fit  for  business  for  some  days,  weeks  perhaps,  after 
breaking  off  from  the  practice.  Nevertheless,  he  had 
better  break  it  off.  No  horse  that  has  been  long  abused 
with  iron  shoes,  and  the  paring  and  coring  submitted 
to  at  the  hands  of  even  the  most  reasonable,  or  rather 
the  least  unreasonable,  blacksmith  retains  anything 
like  the  natural  foot  in  shape,  or  fitness  for  hard 
work.  To  take  off  his  shoes  and  continue  his  regular 
work  would  (supposing  this  to  be  severe,  as  in  the 
livery,  for  instance,  or  hard  pulling  over  ordinary 
roads)  result  in  great  temporary  inconvenience  ;  al- 
though he  would  come  out  ahead  finally.  But  when- 
ever it  is  practicable  to  "favor"  them  (more  or  less, 
and  for  a  longer  or  shorter  time,  as  the  case  may  be) 
there  will  never  be  found  an  instance  of  failure  to 
accomplish  a  great  and  permanent  benefit  by  taking 
off  the  shoes  "  for  good." 

Thus  far  we  have  dealt  very  little  in  theory  ;  but 
have  shown  that,  in  practice^  the  less  shoeing  the  bet- 
ter :  i.  e.,  the  lighter  the  shoes,  the  more  closely  we 
hold  to  the  "  tips "  when  any  irons  are  used  ;  the 
longer  the  barefoot  season  (if  resort  must  be  had  to 
shoeing  at  certain  seasons  or  under  certain  circum- 
stances), the  better  it  will  be  for  the  horse,  and,  con 


1 66  HORSES. 

sequently,  for  his  owner.     It  may  not  be  amiss,  how- 
ever, in  closing  the  discussion,  to  insert  here 

A   LITTLE   THEORY. 

The  following  from  the  American  Cyclopcedia  will 
be  of  interest  to  all  who  wish  to  do  for  themselves  a 
little  "  reasoning  after  the  fact  ": 

"The  hoof  of  the  horse  presents  an  admirable  adap- 
tation to  secure  solidity  and  elasticity  in  an  instrument 
of  progression  ;  the  whole  exterior  horny  covering, 
composed  of  modified  epidermic  structure,  is  a  hollow 
cone  truncated  above,  into  which  the  coffin  bone  is  re- 
ceived ;  highest  in  front,  it  gradually  diminishes  back- 
ward, where  it  is  suddenly  turned  inward,  becom- 
ing mixed  with  the  sole,  supporting  the  under  parts 
of  the  foot,  and  protecting  the  sole  and  the  frog  from 
too  rough  pressure  against  the  ground  ;  this  internal 
wall,  called  the  '  bars  of  the  foot,'  by  its  sloping  direc- 
tion distributes  the  weight  of  the  body  toward  the 
sides  of  the  hoof,  with  whose  numerous  perpendicular 
horny  lamince  interdigltate  similar  processes  from  the 
vascular  surface  of  the  coffin  bone.  In  the  triangular 
space  in  the  center  of  the  foot  is  an  elastic  horny 
mass  called  the  frog,  its  base  connecting  the  posterior 
curves  of  the  hoof,  the  sides  united  with  the  bar,  and 
the  point  extending  about  to  the  center  of  the  sole  ; 
on  the  sides  are  deep  channels,  to  allow  of  its  expan- 
sion and  render  the  foot  elastic  ;  its  actual  thickness 
in  horn  is  not  so  great  as  farriers  seem  to  think,  from 
the  freedom  with  which  they  use  the  paring  knife  ;  in 


Buckingham    (Cleveland  Bay  Stallion).     3  years  ;  height,  16J  hands  ;  weight,  1,350  lbs.  . 

Imported  by  Geo.  E.  Brown  &  Co.,  Importers  and  Breeders,  Aurora,  111.  1 


APPENDIX   TO  SECOND  EDITION.  167 

a  well-formed  foot,  the  base  of  the  frog  ought  to  oc- 
cupy a  sixth  part  of  the  circumference  of  the  circle 
of  the  hoof ;  in  the  center  of  the  frog  is  a  horny  con- 
ical cavity  of  considerable  depth,  which  protects  the 
partially  cleft  foot  from  further  rupture,  adds  to  the 
elasticity  J  secicres  a  firmer  hold  on  loose  soils,  and  pass- 
ing above  into  the  substance  of  the  sensitive  frog 
serves  to  unite  firmly  the  two  halves  of  the  foot, 
which  are  completely  divided  in  ruminants  ;  this 
horny  cone  has  been  called  the  frogstay  or  bolt.  The 
sensitive  frog  falls  into  the  inverted  arch  of  the  horny 
frog,  which  are  thus  held  mutually  in  place  and  pre- 
served from  external  shock.  The  sole  is  an  irregular 
plate  of  horn,  closing  up  the  lower  opening  of  the 
foot,  of  an  arched  form,  abutting  everywhere  against 
the  sides  of  the  wall,  another  contrivance  for  securing 
elasticity.  The  foot  of  the  horse,  therefore,  though 
solid  in  front,  is  partially  cleft  behind,  so  that  the 
terms  solidimgula  and  solipoda  can  not  strictly  be  ap- 
plied to  it ;  indeed  a  solid,  continuous,  unyielding  circle 
of  horn  would  be  very  painful  if  not  entirely  useless  as 
an  instrument  of  active  progression ;  this  beautiful 
structure,  however,  is  sadly  interfered  with  in  almost 
all  methods  of  shoeing.  Immediately  under  the  hoof 
are  extensive  cartilages,  attached  to  the  last  two 
bones,  protecting  the  upper  part  of  the  structure  and 
adding  greatly  to  the  elasticity  of^  the  foot,  and  per- 
mitting the  movements  of  the  cofifin  bone  within  the 
hoof ;  in  old  horses  these  cartilages  may  become  par- 
tially ossified,  and  are  then  called  ring-bones.  Under 
the  hoof  is  also  a  very  sensitive  and  vascular  layer, 


1 68  HORSES. 

from  which  the  hoof  originates,  analogous  to  the  soft 
core  of  hollow  horns  and  the  matrix  of  nails." 

BAREFOOTED    SPEEDERS. 

[New  York  Sun,  December,  15,  1883.] 

"  Those  in  favor  of  letting  horses  go  without  shoes  will  be 
pleased  to  learn  that  Anteeo,  a  California  four-year-old  by 
Electioneer,  wearing  only  tips  weighing  four  ounces,  trotted 
a  mile  in  2:23,  the  last  half  in  i:io)4,  and  the  track  was  not 
considered  very  good  either.  There  can  be  no  severer  test  for 
horses*  feet  than  speed  at  the  trotting  gait,  and  2:23  is  still 
regarded  as  pretty  good  speed." 

The  weight  of  testimony  is  everywhere  in  favor  of 
non-shoeing  for  farm  horses,  and  all  horses,  in  fact, 
doing  light  work  or  that  are  working  under  so- 
called  favorable  conditions.  I  make  the  above  asser- 
tion advisedly  ;  for,  as  the  thief  was  convicted  of  till- 
tapping  upon  the  evidence  of  a  single  witness  to  his 
crime,  in  spite  of  his  protestation  that  he  *'  could  find 
twenty  men  who  did  not  see  him.  take  the  money,"  so 
the  evidence  of  men  who  have  tried  the  non-shoeing 
plan  will  hold,  despite  the  fact  that  the  masses,  and 
even  the  great  body  of  horsemen,  have  not  seen  the 
advantages  of  the  reform  in  question.  But,  the 
author  claims  that  under  almost  every  conceivable 
condition  of  work,  horses  reared  to  the  system,  and 
properly  handled,  and  horses  at  any  age  who  can 
have  a  reasonable  time  to  undo  the  mischief  of  shoeing, 
and  toughen  their  feet,  will  be  benefited  out  and  out 
by  being  left  to  their  natural  resources.  The  above 
clipping  from  the  Skji  affords  proof  that  a  gait  of  2:21 
is  not  destructive  to  a  horse's  hoofs.  It  would  doubt- 
less be  far  easier  for  Anteeo's  owner  to  decide  upon 


APPENDIX  TO  SECOND  EDITION.  169 

leaving  off  the  little  tips  and  give  him  the  use  of  his 
feet  utterly  unembarrassed,  than  for  the  opponents 
of  reform  to  adopt  the  tips  instead  of  the  old  shoe. 

A   LOWELL,    MASS.,   JEHU'S    EXPERIENCE. 

Mr.  Sam  Chapin,  of  Lowell,  writes  as  follows  to  Cotton,  Wool 
and  Iron  on  the  subject  of  shoeing  horses  : — 

"  I  have  a  horse  I  have  owned  over  seven  years  that  I  think 
a  great  deal  of,  and  which  I  have  kept  for  my  own  driving.  I 
came  to  the  conclusion  four  years  ago  that  shoeing  was 
ag'ainst  nature.  I  talked  the  same  to  horsemen  here  in  Low- 
ell, and  they  said  it  might  do  in  some  cases,  but  for  a  man 
who  drove  as  I  did  over  the  pavements,  it  would  ruin  a  horse's 
feet  in  one  month's  time.  I  did  not  believe  it,  although  I  did 
not  get  my  courage  up  to  pull  off  my  horse's  shoes  until 
April,  1882.  Since  that  time  those  shoes  have  hung  up  in 
the  stable,  and  I  would  not  put  them  on  her  feet  again  for 
any  consideration.  She  had  good  feet  when  I  took  them  off, 
and  she  has  better  feet  to-day,  and  you  know,  Mr.  Editor,  and 
all  of  my  acquaintance  in  Lowell,  that  I  am  not  a  slow  driver, 
no  matter  whether  I  am  on  pavements  or  a  soft  road.  I 
would  not  advise  parties  to  take  off  their  horses'  shoes  at  t"his 
time  of  the  year,  but  take  them  off  in  the  spring,  when  the 
frost  is  coming  out  of  the  ground,  and  by  the  time  the  ground 
gets  hard  the  frog  of  the  foot  gets  grown  down  so  as  to  be- 
come a  cushion  for  the  hard  ground  and  pavements  to  protect 
the  nerves  of  the  feet  from  injury.  I  now  drive  my  horse  up 
hill  and  down,  over  pavements,  crossings,  etc.  I  never  ex- 
pect to  see  a  harder  winter  for  ice  than  we  had  here  in  Lowell 
last  year.  While  some  of  my  nei,f,^hbors  sharpened  their 
horses'  shoes  twice  a  week,  I  drove  all  winter  without  a  shoe, 
and  no  slipping,  either." 

Old  prejudices  and  superstitions  die  hard  ;  but  they 
are  dying  every  year.  The  time  will  come  when  iron 
shoes,  such  as  are  now  put  upon  hx)rses'  feet,  will  be  re- 
garded as  we  now  regard  the  armors  of  warriors  of  ye 
olden  time— with  this  distinction  :  the  latter  were  really 
appropriate  for  the  purpose  for  which  they  were 
designed. 


170  HORSES. 

SUDDEN    DEATHS. 

Fatalities  like  that  of  the  sudden  death  of  Majol- 
ica Maid  on  Sunday,  Dec.  l6th,  are  of  frequent 
occurrence.  ''  She  had  eaten  a  good  supper  on  Sat- 
urday," sa/s  the  account,  ^'  and  breakfasted  well  on 
Sunday,  and  appeared  to  be  in  good  health.  One  of 
Mr.  Murphy's  men  was  going  to  give  her  a  spin,  and 
looking  into  her  stall  saw  her  lying  on  her  side  with 
her  legs  in  the  air.  She  was  dead  in  a  few  minutes." 
Thus  Mr.  Strauss,  her  owner,  pays  a  penalty  of 
$20,000  for  giving  his  mare  ''  enough  to  eat  "  !  This 
young,  fine-blooded  and  perfectly  healthy  mare  is 
said  to  have  died  of  ''  heart  disease "  !  The  post- 
mortem examination  on  the  body  of  Majolica  Maid 
proved,  that  the  mare  '^  had  ruptured  a  blood-vessel 
near  the  heart,  and  had  died  almost  instantly."  It 
remains  to  be  said,  however,  that  a  well-conditioned 
and  well-fed  animal  could  no  more  sustain  a  rupture 
of  that  sort,  than  an  iceberg  could  be  demolished  by 
spontaneous  combustion. 

Had  Mr.  Strauss,  at  any  time  within  48  hours  be- 
fore the  death  of  Majolica  Maid,  learned  the  lesson 
which  the  writer  of  the  following  note  obtained  from 
reading  a  certain  book,  that  magnificent  animal's 
career  would  not  have  ended  thus  prematurely. 

A  prominent  citizen  of  Calais,  Me.,  writes  as  follows  : 

"Calais,  Me.,  December  12,  1883. 
"C.  E.  Page,  M.D.,  130  West  44th  Street,  New  York. 

"  Dear  Sir  :  I  have  just  read  your  book, '  Horses,  their  Feed 
and  their  Feet,'  and  I  have  derived  so  much  useful  knowl- 
edge from  it  that  I  am  prompted  to  send  you  my  thanks. 


APPENDIX  TO  SECOND  EDITION.  171 

"  I  have  a  fine  family  horse,  weighing  a  thousand  pounds,  and 
worked  to  an  average  of  five,  or  eight  miles  a  day  at  the  most. 
I  have  been  feeding  nine  quarts  of  oats  and  twelve  pounds 
of  hay  per  day.  I  see  now  that  I  can  with  double  advan- 
tage save  a  large  portion  of  the  horse's  feed. 

"  I  have  had  an  experience  in  the  line  of  the  evil  effects  of 
overfeeding  which  I  am  anxious  not  to  repeat.  My  first  horse 
was  boarded  in  a  stable  along  with  horses  doing  hard  work, 
and  received  the  same  allowance  of  food  with  them,  while 
her  only  labor  was  that  of  carrying  on  the  back  a  man  of  a 
hundred  and  thirty  pounds  weight  for  an  hour  or  two  a  day 
with  frequent  days  of  entire  absence  of  labor.  In  consequence 
disease  was  induced,  a  fullness  of  blood  which  produced  a 
rush  to  the  head,  and  a  blind,  frantic  running,  followed  by  a 
trembling  fit. 

"  I  was  compelled  to  part  with  the  animal  while  yet  in  her 
prime  as  to  years,  for  a  mere  song. 

"  I  mention  the  case  as  illustrating  your  teaching  concern- 
ing the  evil  of  feed  disproportionate  to  work. 

"  I  enclose  one  dollar,  for  which  I  would  thank  you  to  mail 
to  me  your  work  on  the  '  Natural  Cure.' 

"  Again  expressing  my  grateful  appreciation  of  your  serv- 
ices to  horses,  and  their  owners, 

"  Yours  respectfully, 

"  Chas.  G.  McCully." 


AUTHOR'S  GENERAL  NOTE. 

The  reception  accorded  to  this  book  by  horse- 
men and  the  trade,  and  the  favor  with  which  it  has 
been  received  by  agricultural  and  sporting  papers, 
has  been  so  phenomenal  that  no  sooner  was  the  first 
full  edition  fairly  off  the  press  th^n  a  second  is  de- 
manded. I  am  especially  glad  of  this,  for  it  has  given 
me  the  opportunity  to  thus  speedily  make  a  certain 
correction  on  page  40  relating  to  contagious  diseases. 
753  Broadway,  New  York,  Dec.  25,  1883. 


PUBLISHERS'   NOTICE. 


The  rapid  sales  which  have  been  made  for  this' lit- 
tle manual  of  ''  Horse  Hygiene,"  have  led  us  to  make 
some  improvements  in  the  second  edition,  by  add- 
ing a  number  of  portraits  of  famous  and  celebrated 
horses.  These  we  are  sure  our  readers  will  appreci- 
ate and  be  pleased  with.  They  show  so  conclusively 
what  can  be  accomplished  by  careful  training,  that 
they  should  encourage  every  horse-owner  to  make 
the  best  possible  use  of  his  animal.  Horsemen 
need  not  hesitate  to  give  a  trial  to  the  somewhat 
radical  views  advanced  by  the  author,  as  we  are  con- 
stantly in  receipt  of  letters  giving  the  experience  of 
those  who  have  done  so,  and  found  the  results  of 
trying  the  new  way  to  be  the  most  desirable. 

Believing  it  to  be  in  the  interest  of  our  readers,  we 
have  decided  to  insert  a  few  advertising  pages,  as 
follows.  We  have  accepted  none  but  reliable  and 
trustworthy  firms,  and  we  can  confidently  recom- 
mend these  parties  for  anything  which  may  be  desired 
in  their  respective  departments.  People  from  a  dis- 
tance will  be  surprised  at  the  advantages  offered  to 
the  public,  to  deal  directly  through  dealers  in  this  city. 
It  will  be  found  profitable  to  send  for  catalogues,  and 
a  satisfaction  both  to  the  advertiser  and  the  publish- 
ers. Will  our  readers  please  mention  in  writing  that 
the  advertisement  was  seen  in  this  work.  We  are 
prepared  to  fill  orders  for  any  of  the  standard  works 
on  the  horse,  at  publishers'  lowest  prices.  Our  new 
Descriptive  Catalogue  will  be  sent  on  application  to 

Fowler  &  Wells,  Publishers,  753  Broadway,  N.  Y. 


The  Natural  Cure  :  Consumption,  Dyspepsia, 
Nervous  Diseases,  Gout,  Rheumatism,  Insom- 
nia (Sleeplessness),  Bright's  Disease,  etc. 
By  C.  E.  Page,  M.D.     i2M0,  cloth,  $i.oo. 

A  FEW  OF  the  many  NOTES  FROM  READERS. 

J.  Russ,  Jr.,  Haverhill,  Mass.,  says:  "Dr.  Page's  explanation  of  the  'colds' 
question  is  alone  worth  the  price  of  a  hundred  copies  of  the  book— it  is,  in  fact,  in- 
valuable, going  to  the  verj'  root  of  the  question  of  sickness." 

Mrs.  W.  O.  Thompson,  71  Irving  Place,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  says  :  "  I  wish  every 
friend  I  have  could  read  it,  and,  only  that  hygieni'sts  never  harbor  ill-feeling,  that 
my  enemies  might  not  chance  to  find  it.  I  owe  much  to  the  truths  made  clear  in 
'Natural  Cure,'  and  it  is  certain  that  to  it  and  the  professional  attendance  of  the 
author,  ray  sister-in-law  owes  her  life  and  present  robust  health." 

FROM  A  TEACHER. 

Mrs.  S.  S.  Gage,  teacher  in  the  Adelphi  Academy,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,says  :  "My 
friend,  Mrs.  Thompson,  recommended  this  book  ('  Natural  Cure ')  to  me.  Thanks 
to  her  and  '  the  book,'  my  old  headaches  trouble  me  no  more  ;  1  am  better  in  every 
way.  I  never  could  accomplish  so  much  and  with  so  little  fatigue  ;  and  I  am  sure 
that  all  my  intellectual  work  is  of  better  quality  than  it  ever  was  before." 

FROM  A  HUSBAND. 
D.  Thompson,  Lee,  N.  H.,  says  :  "  Through  following  the  advice  in  '  Natural 
Cure'  my  head.-\ches.  which  have  tortured  me  at  frequent  intervals  for  forty  years, 
return  no  more.  Formerly  I  could  not  work  for  three  days  at  a  time,  now  I  work 
right  along,  For  this,  as  well  as  for  the  restoration  of  my  wife  to  health,  after  we 
had  given  her  up  as  fatally  sick,  I  have  to  thank  Dr.  Page  and  '  The  Natural  Cure.'  *' 

FROM   THE  WIFE. 

Mrs.  S.  E.  D.  Thompson,  Lee,  N.  H.,  says  :  "  I  can  not  well  express  my  grati- 
tude for  the  benefit  I  have  received  from  the  book  and  its  author's  personal  coun- 
sel. Condemned  to  die,  I  am  now  well.  It  is  truly  wonderful  how  the  power  of 
resting  is  increased  under  the  influence  of  the  regimen  prescribed.  I  have  dis- 
tributed many  copies  of  this  book,  and  have  known  oi a  H/e-long asthmatic  cured ^ 
biliousness  removed^  perennial  hay-fever  banished  ior  good,  and  other  wonderful 
changes  wrought,  by  means  of  the  regimen  formulated  in  'Natural  Cure.'  A 
friend  remarked :  '  It  is  full  of  encouragement  for  those  who  wish  to  live  in  clean 
bodies.'  Another  said :  'It  has  proved  to  me  that  I  have  been  committing  slow 
suicide.'     Our  minister  says  :  '  I  have  modified  my  diet  and  feel  like  a  new  man.'  " 

To  this  Mrs.  Thompson  adds,  for  the  author's  first  book,  "  How  to  Feed  the 
Baby  ":  "  I  have  known  of  a  number  of  babes  changed  from  colicky,  fretful  chil- 
dren to  happy  well  ones,  making  them  a  delight  to  their  parents,  by  following  its 
advice." 

William  C.  Langley,  Newport,  R.  I.,  says  :  "  While  all  would  be  benefited  from 
reading  it,  I  would  especially  commend  it  to  those  who,  from  inherited  feebleness, 
or,  like  myself,  had  declined  deeply,  feel  the  need  of  making  the  most  of  their  lim- 
ited powers.  I  may  add,  that  this  work  bears  evidence  that  the  author  has  had 
wide  range,  and  extensive  reading,  together  with  a  natural  fitness  for  physiological 
and  hygienic  research,  keen  perception  of  natural  law  and  tact  in  its  application." 

Mrs.  Dr.  Densmore,  130  West  44th  Street,  New  York,  says  :  "You  can  judge  of 
my  opinion  of  Natural  Cure  '  when  I  tell  you  that  I  am  buying  it  of  the  publishers 
by  the  dozen  to  distribute  among  my  patients." 

The  Popular  Science  Monthly  for  September,  1883,  speaks  highly  of  the  work, 
closing  with,  'Hhe  public  has  in  this  work  a  most  valuable  manual  of  hygiene." 

The  Atlantic  Monthly  for  August,  1S83,  says :  "  It  is  an  eflfort  at  impressing 
common-sense  views  of  preserving  and  restoring  health." 

Seat  by  mail,  post-paid,  on  receipt  of  price,  $1.00.     Address 

FOWLER  &  WELLS,  Publishers, 

753  Broadway,  New  York, 


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T  HIE 

GOODENOUGH  HORSE-SHOE, 

now  ten  years  before  the  public,  has  outlived  a  score 
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Railroads  and  Transportation  Companies  than  all 
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much  the  cheapest,  in  fact  the  only  Horse-Shoe. 

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HORSE    REQUIREMENTS. 

Saddlery,  WhijDS,  Boots,  Halters,  Etc.,  Etc. 
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Catalogue  mailed  on  application. 


Practical  Outdoor  Books. 

How  to    Raise    Fruits.— a  Handbook 

of  Fruit  Culture.  Being  a  Guide  to  the  Proper  Cultivation  and  Management  of  Fruit 
Trees,  and  of  Grapes  and  Small  Fruits,  with  condensed  descriptions  of  many  of  the  best 
and  most  popular  varieties,  with  upwards  of  100  engravings.   By  Tuomas  Grkgg.    $1.00. 

A  book  which  should  be  owned  by  every  person  who  owns  a  rod  of  available  land,  and 
it  will  serve  to  secure  success  where  now  there  is  nothing  but  failure.  It  covers  the 
ground  fully,  without  technicalities,  and  is  a  work  on  "Fruit  Culture  for  the  Million." 

It  tells  of  the  cost ,  ho  vv  to  plant,  how  to  trim,  how  to  transplant,  location,  soil,  selection, 
diseases,  insects,  borers,  blights,  cultivation,  how  to  prune,  manuring,  layering,  budding, 
grafting,  etc.,  including  full  description  and  management  of  Orchard  Fruit,  such  as  Ap- 
ples, Peaches,  Pears,  Plums,  Cherries,  Quinces,  Apricots,  Nectarines,  etc.  It  is  a  most 
complete  Guide  to  Small-Fruit  Culture,  with  many  illustrations  and  descriptions  of  the 
latest  varieties  of  Grapes,  Strawberries,  Blackberries,  Raspberries,  Gooseberries,  Cur- 
rants, etc. 

How  to  Paint. — A  New  Work  by  a  Practi- 
cal Painter.  Des'gned  for  the  use  of  Farmers,  Tradesmen,  Mechanics,  Merchants,  and 
as  a  Guide  to  the  Professional  Painter.  Containing  a  plain  common-sense  statement  of 
the  methods  employed  by  painters  to  produce  satisfactory  results  in  Plain  and  Fancy 
Painting  of  every  description,  including  Gilding,  Bronzing,  Staining,  Graining,  Marbling, 
Varnishing,  Polishing,  Kalsomining,  Paper-Hanging,  Striping,  Lettering,  Copying,  and 
Ornamenting,  with  directions  for  mixing  and  applying  all  kinds  of  Paints.  Makes 
"  Every  Man  his  Own  Painter."    Si. 00. 

The  Model  Potato.— An  exposition  of 

the  proper  cultivation  of  the  Potato ;  the  Causes  of  its  Disease,  and  the  Remedy  ;  its 
Renewal,  Presei-vation,  Productiveness,  and  Cooking.    50  cents. 

Horses:   Their   Feed  and  Their 

FEET.— A  manual  of  horse  hygiene,  invaluable  for  the  veteran  or  the  novice,  pointing 
out  the  causes  of  "Malaria,"  "Glanders,"  "Pink  Eye,"  "Distemper,"  etc.,  and  how  to 
Prevent  and  Counteract  them.  By  C,  E.  Page,  M.D.,  with  a  Treatise  and  Notes  on 
Shoeing  by  Sir  George  Cox  and  Col.  M.  C.  Weld.  150  pp.  12mo,  paper,  50  cents  ;  extra 
tloth,  75  cents. 

By  mail,  post-paid,  on  receipt  of  price.     Address 

FOWLER  &  WELLS,  Publishers, 

'753  Broadway,  New  York. 


jioW  TO  J^EAD  jChARACTER 

A   New  Illustkated   Hand-Bonk    of    Piuienology   and  Pht« 

siooNOiiT,  for  tbo  iise  of  Students  and  Examiners;  vdth 

a  Descriptive  Chart   for   marking,   and   upwards 

of  170  Engravings.     By  Samuel  K  Wells, 

heavy  muslin,  $1.25;  in  paper,  $1.00. 

FOWLER  &  WELLS,    Publishers, 
753  Broadway,  Nev/  York. 


One  who  "wishes  to  get  a  practical  knowledge  of  Phrenology  and 
Physiogomy  in  the  shortest  possibh^  time,  and  without  burdening 
his  mind  with  theoretical  speculations,  will  find  this  just  the  work  he 
needs.  So  far  as  any  book  can  give  him  the  instruction  he  requireg, 
this  will  do  it :  and  so  clear  are  its  explanations,  and  so  full,  complete, 
and  efftotive  its  illustrations,  that  the  lack  of  an  oral  teacher  will 
seem  but  a  slight  drawback.  It  begins  at  the  beginning  ;  describee 
the  brain  and  the  skull;  illustrates  the  temperaments;  shows  how 
the  organs  are  grouped  together  in  the  cranium  :  points  out  the  loca- 
tion and  *unction  of  each  organ,  with  the  corresponding  physiog- 
nomical signs;  gives  practical  direction  for  the  cultivation  or  ro- 
Btraint,  as  may  be  necessary,  of  each  organ  ;  explains  fully  the  ''  Art 
of  Character  Reading,"  showing  how  to  proceed  in  an  examination, 
how  to  find  the  organs,  how  to  distinguish  the  temperaments  and 
other  physiological  conditions,  and  how  to  "  take  the  measure "  of 
each  man,  woman  and  child,  so  as  to  estimate  correctly  the  mental  and 
physical  status  of  every  subject  examined.  The  practical  applica- 
tion of  the  whole  to  the  affairs  of  life — matrimony,  education,  busl 
ness,  etc.— is  then  pointed  out;  objections  answered  ;  and  the  mental 
organization  required  in  each  trade  and  profession  described-  A  fcli 
Descriptive  Chart  for  the  marking  of  character  is  added.  The  work 
is  thorough,  methodical,  carefully  considered  in  every  part;  and  at 
the  same  time  simple,  concise,  popular  in  style,  and  adapted  to  the 
comprehension  of  everybody  who  can  read  the  English  language.  It 
does  not  claim  to  be  exhaustive ;  but  we  can  confidently  assert  that 
BO  much  truly  useful  matter  on  the  subjects  treated,  with  so  many 
fine  illustrations,  cfui  nowhere  else  be  found  in  the  same  compaas  Mr 
toT  so  Bmall  a  -pncb.    Just  the  tlung  for  Students  and  Examiners. 


WORKS    PUBLISHED    BY 

rOWLSK  Si  WELLS,  753  BROADWAY,  NEW  YOEE. 


PHRENOLOGY    AND     PHYSIOGNOMY. 


American  Phrenological  Journal  and 
SciENCfi  OF  Health. — Devoted  to  Eth- 
nology, Physiology,  Phrenology,  Physiog- 
nomy, Psychology,  Sociolog}^  Biography, 
Education,  Literature,  etc.,  with  Measure? 
to  Reform,  Elevate,  and  Improve  Man- 
kind Physically,  Mentally,  and  Spiritually. 
Monthly,  $2  a  year ;  20  cents  a  number. 

Bell  (Sir  Charles).— Expression  :  its 

Anatomy  and  Philosophy.  With  the 
original  Notes  and  Illustrations  by  the 
author,  and  additional  Notes  and  Illustra- 
tions by  Samuel  R.  Wells.    $1.25. 

Boardman(Andrew,M.D.)— Defence 
OF  Phrenology  ;  Containing  an  Essay 
on  the  Nature  and  Value  of  Phrenological 
Evidence ;  A  Vindication  of  Phrenology 
against  the  Attack  of  its  opponents.  $1.25. 

Bray  (Charles). — The  Education  of 
THE  Feelings  and  Affections.  Edited, 
with  Notes  and  Illustrations,  by  Nelson 
SiZER.    Cloth,  $1.50. 

This  work  gives  ill  and  definite  directions 
lor  the  cultivation  or  restraining  of  all  the 
faculties  relating  to  the  feelings  or  affections. 

Combe  (George). — A  System  of 
Phrenology  ;  With  One  Hundred  En- 
gravings.    Cloth,  $1.50. 

-Constitution  of  Man  ;  Consider- 
ed in  Relation  to  external  objects.  The 
only  authorized  American  edition ;  with 
twenty  engravings,  and  a  portrait  of  the 
author.     $1.50. 

The  "  Constitution  of  Man  "  is  a  work  with 
which  every  teacher  and  every  pupil  should  be 
acquainted, 

Lectures   on  Phrenology;  with 

Notes,   an  Essay  on  the  Phrenological 
Mode  of  Investigation,  and  an  Historical 
Sketch,  by  A.  Boardman,  M.D.    $1.50. 
These  are  the  lectures  delivered  by  George 

Combe  in   America. 

Moral  Philosophy  ;  or,  the  Duties 

of  Man  considered  In  his  Individual,  Do- 
mestic, and  Social  Capacities.     $1.50. 

Uniform  Edition,  4  vols.,  extra  cloth,  $5.00. 

Library  Edition,  4  vols.,  $10. 


On  Education. — Papers  on  Edu- 
cational Subjects.     One  vol.  Svo,  Edin- 
burgh Edition.     Cloth,  $5.00. 
This    volume    consists    of   valuable    'Essays 

written  by  Mr.  Combe,  and  should  be  found  in 

the  library  of  every  teacher. 

The  Life  of.     By  Charles  Gib- 
bon.   2  volumes,  Svo,  with  two  portraits. 
London  Edition.     $5.00. 
These  two  works  are  not  published  in  this 

country,  but  we  can  furnish  from  our  stock,  or 

import  to  order. 

Capen   (Nahum,    LL.D.) — Reminis- 

cencesof  Dr.  Spurzheim  and  George 
Com  BE,  and  a  Review  of  the  Science  of 
Phrenology  from  the  period  of  its  discov- 
ery by  Dr.  Gall  to  the  time  of  the  visit 
of  George  Combe  to  the  United  States, 
with  a  new  portrait  of  Dr.  Spurzheim. 
i2mo,  extra  cloth,  $1.50. 
Drayton  (H.  S.,  A.M.),  and  McNeil 
(James,   A.M.)— Brain    and    Mind;    or, 
Mental  Science  Considered  in  Accordance 
v/ith  the  Principles  of  Phrenology  and  in 
Relation  to  Modem  Physiology.  111.  $1.50. 
This  is  the  latest  and  best  work  published. 
It  constitutes  a  complete  text-book  of  Phrenol- 
ogy, is  profusely  illustrated,  and  well  adapted 
to  the  use  of  students. 

Drayton  (H.  S.,  A.M.)— The  Indi- 
cations  of  Character,  as  manifested 
in  the  general  shape  of  the  head  and  the 
form  of  the  face.    Illustrated.   25  cents. 

How    to    Study    Phrenology. — 

With  Suggestions  to  Students,  Lists  of 
Best  Works,  Constitutions  for  Societies, 
etc.   i2mo,  paper,  10  cents. 

Fowler  (O.  S.)— Education  and  Self- 
Improvement  Complete  ;  Comprising 
"  Physiology,  Animal  and  Mental,"  "Self- 
Culture  and  Perfection  of  Character," 
*'  Memory  and  Intellectual  Improvement." 
One  large  vol.     Illustrated.    $3.50. 

Self-Culture    and   Perfection  of 

Character  ;  Including  the  Management 
of  Children  and  Youth.     $1.25. 
One  of  the  best  of  the  author's  works. 

Physiology,  Animal  and  Mental: 

Applied  to  the  Preservation  and  Restora- 
tion of  Health  of  Body  and  Power  of 
Mind.     $1.25. 


Sefti  by  Mail,  post-paid.    Fowler  &  Wells,  Publishers^  753  Broadimy^  New  York* 


m9 


WORKS    ON    PHRENOLOGY. 

Fowler    (O.  S.) — Memory   and    In-lSizer  (Nelson). — Choice  of  Pursuits; 


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Maternity  ;   or,  the   Bearing  and 

Nursing  of  Children,  including  Female 
Education  and  Beauty.     $1.25. 

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Physiology  applied  to  the  Selection  of 
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ing Directions  to  the  Married  for  living 
together  Affectionately  and  Happily.   50c. 

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concerning  the  strongest  ties  and  the  most 
sacred  relations  of  life.     50  cents. 

Hereditary    Descent ;    Its  Laws 

and  Facts  applied  to  Human  Improve- 
ment.    Illustrated.     $1.25. 

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edies of  Excessive  and  Perverted  Sexual- 
ity ;  including  Warning  and  Advice  to 
the  Married  and  Single.    25  cents. 

Phrenology  Proved,  Illustrated, 

And  Applied.  Embracing  an  Analysis 
of  the  Primary  Mental  Powers  in  their 
Various  Degrees  of  Development,  and 
location  of  the  Phrenological  Organs. 
The  Mental  Phenomena  produced  by 
their  combined  action,  and  the  location 
of  the  faculties  amply  illustrated.  By  the 
Fowler  Brothers.     $1.50. 

Self-Instructor    in    Phrenology 

AND  Physiology.  With  over  One 
Hundred  Engravings  and  a  Chart  for 
Phrenologists,  for  the  Recording  of  Phren- 
ological Development.  By  t!ia  Fowler 
Brothers.    Paper,  50  cts. ;  cloth,  75  cts. 

Synopsis    of    Phrenology,    and 

Charts  for  Describing  the  Phrenological 
Derelopments,  for  the  use  of  Lecturers 
and  Examiners.     Paper,  10  cents. 

Fowler  (L.N.) — Marriage,  its  His- 
tory AND  Ceremonies,  with  a  Phren- 
ological and  Physiological  Exposition  of 
the  Functions  and  Qualifications  for 
Happy  Marriages.     Illustrated,  $1,250 

Redfield's  Comparative  Physiogno-J 

MY  ;  or,  Resemblances  Between  Men  and  j 
Animals.     Illustrated.     $3.00.  \ 


or,  What  to  Do  and  Why.  Describing 
Seventy-five  Trades  and  Professions,  and 
the  Temperaments  and  Talents  required 
'or  each.  With  Portraits  and  Biographies 
of  many  successful  Thinkers  and  Work- 
ers.    $1.75. 

How  to    Teach    According   to 

Temperament  and  Mental  Develop- 
ment ;  or,  Phrenology  in  the  School-room 
and  the  Family.     Illustrated.    §1.50. 

Forty  Years  in  Phrenology;  em  • 

bracing  Recollections  of  History,  Anec- 
dote and  Experience.     $1.50. 

Thoughts  on  Doraestc  Life  ;  or, 

Marriage  Vindicated  and  Free  Love  Ex- 
posed.    25  cents. 

Spurzheim  (J.  G.,M.D.)— Education; 

ITS  Elementary  Principles  Found- 
ed ON  the  Nature  of  Man.  With  an 
Appendix  by  S.  R.  Wells,  containing  a 
Description  of  the  Temperaments  and  a 
Brief  Analysis  of  the  Phrenological  Facul- 
ties.   Illustrated.     $1.50. 

Natural  Laws  of  Man. — A  Phi- 
losophical Catechism,  Sixth  Edition.  En- 
larged and  improved.    50  cents. 

Weaver  (Rev.  G.  S.) — Lectures  on 

Mental  Science.  According  ♦©  the 
Philosophy  of  Phrenology.  Delivered  be- 
fore the  Anthropological  Society.  Illus- 
trated.    $1.25. 

Wells  (Samuel  R.) — New  Physiog- 

nomy  ;  or.  Signs  of  Character,  as  mani- 
fested through  Temperament  and  Exter- 
nal Forms,  and  especially  in  the  "  Human 
I'ace    Divine."     With    more    than    One 
Thousand    Illustrations.      In  one  i2mo 
volume,    768    pages,   muslin,   $5.00 ;    in 
heavy  calf,  marbled  edges,  $8.00 ;  Turkey 
morocco,  full  gilt,  $10. 
"  The  treatise  of  Mr.  Wells,  which  is  admira- 
bly printed  and  profusely  illustrated,  is  probably 
the  most  complete  hand-book  upon  the  subject 
in  the  language." — A'.  K.  Tribune. 

Phrenological  Bust.— Showing  the 
latest  classification  and  exact  location  of 
the  Organs  of  the  Brain.  It  is  divided  so 
as  to  show  each  individual  Organs  on  one 
jide  ;  with  ail  the  groups — Social,  Execu- 
tive, InteUectual,  and  Moral— properly  clas- 
siGed,  on  the  other  side.  There  are  two 
sizes  ;  the  largest,  not  mailable,  price  $1. 
The  smaller,  50  cents. 


Sent  by  Mail^  post-paid.  Fowler  &  Wells,  Publishers^  753  Broadway^  Net^  York. 


PHRENOLOGY  AND    PHYSIOGNOMY. 


Wells  (S.  R.)— How  to  Read  Char- 
ACTER,— A  New  Illustrated  Hand-book  of 
Phrenology  and  Physioi^-omy,  for  Stu- 
dents and  Examiners,  with  a  Chart  for  re- 
cording the  sizes  of  the  different  Organs 
of  the  Brain  in  the  Delineation  of  Char- 
acter; with  upv/ards  of  170  Engravings. 
Paper,  $1.00  ;  Cloth,  $1.25. 

Wedlock  ;  or,  The  Right  Relations 

of  the  Sexes.  Disclosing  the  Laws  of 
Conjugal  Selections,  and  showing  Who 
May  Marry.     $1.50  ;  gilt,  ip2.oo. 

New  Descriptive  Chart,  for  the 

Use  of  Examiners  in  the  Delineation  of 
Character.     25  cents  ;  cloth,  50  cents. 

Harmony  of  Phrenology  and  the 
Bible,  including  the  Definitions.    10  cts. 


A  Catechism  of  Phrenology.  Illus- 
trating the  Principles  of  the  Science.  25c. 


The  Phrenological  Miscellany;  of, 

Illustrated  Annuals  of  Phrenology  and 
Physiognomy,  from  1865  to  1S73  combin- 
ed in  I  volume,  the  nine  containing  over 
400  illustrations,  many  portraits  and  biog- 
raphies of  distinguished  personages,  to- 
gether with  articles  on  "  Hov/  to  Study 
Phrenology,"  "  Resemblance  to  Parents," 
"Bashfulness,"  "Diffidence,"  "  Stammer- 
ing," etc.,  an  elaborate  article  on  "The 
Marriage  of  Cousins,"  "Jealousy,  its 
Cause  and  Cure."    450  pages,  $1.50. 

Phrenology  and    the   Scriptures.^ 

Showing  the  Harmony  between  Phrenol- 
ogy and  the  Bible.  By  Rev,  J.  PlERPONT. 
Paper,  15  cts. 
The  Annuals  of  Phrenology  and 
Health  Almanac  for  1874,  '75,  '76,  '77, 
'78,  '79,  '80,  '81,  '82,  'S3,  in  one  vol.    $1.  . 


—Symbolical   Head   and    Phreiio- 
LOGical  Map.  On  fine  tinted  paper,  loc. 
How  to  Study  Character  ;  or,  The  Phrenology,  its  History  and  Impor- 
True  Basis  of  the  Science  of  Mind.    50c. »     tant  Principles.  By  T.  Turner,  ioc. 


"^TT-OIRI^S    03^ 


There  is  an  increasing  interest  in  the  facts  relating  to  Magnetism,  etc, 
below  a  list  of  Works  on  this  subject. 


and  we  present 


Practical  Instructions  in  Animal 
Magnetism.  By  J.  P.  F.  Deleuze.  Trans- 
lated by  Thomas  C.  Hartshorn.  New  and 
Revised  edition,  with  an  appendix  of  notes 
by  the  Translator,  and  Letters  from  Emi- 
nent Physicians,  and  others.   $2.00. 

History  of  Salem  Witchcraft.— A 
review  of  Charles  W.  Upham's  great 
Work  from  the  Edinburgh  Review^  with 
Notes :  by  Samuel  R.  Wells,  contain- 
ing, also.  The  Planchette  Myster>-,  Spirit- 
ualism, by  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe,  and  Dr.  Doddridge's  Dream.  $1. 

Fascination ;  or,  the   Philosophy  of 

Charming.  Illustrating  the  Principles 
of  Life  in  connection  with  Spirit  and  Mat- 
ter.    By  J.  B.  Newman,  M.D.    $1.00. 

Six  Lectures  on  the  Philosophy  of 

Mesmerism,  delivered  in  Marlboro'  Chap- 
el, Boston.  By  Dr.  John  Bovee  Dods. 
Paper,  50  cents. 

The  Philceophy  of  Electrical  Psy- 
CHOLOGY,  in  a  course  of  Twelve  Lectures. 
By  the  same  author.     i2mo,  cloth,  $1.25. 


The    Library    of    Mesmerism    and 

Psychology.— Comprising  the  Philoso- 
phy of  Mesmerism,  Clairvoyance,  Mental 
Electricity. — Fascination,  or  the  Power  of 
Charming.  Illustrating  the  Principles 
of  Life  in  connection  with  Spirit  and 
Matter. — The  Macrocosm,  or  the  Universe 
Without :  being  an  unfolding  of  the  plan 
of  Creation,  and  the  Correspondence  of 
Truths. — The  Philosophy  of  Electrical 
Psychology  ;  the  Doctrine  of  Impressions  ; 
including  the  connection  between  Mind 
and  Matter ;  also,  the  Treatment  of  Dis- 
eases.— Psychology  ;  or,  the  Science  of  the 
Soul,  considered  Physiologically  and  Philo- 
sophically ;  with  an  Appendix  containing 
Notes  Qf  Mesmeric  and  Psychical  experi- 
ence, and  illustrations  of  the  Brain  and 
Nervous  System,     i  vol.    $3.50. 

How  to  Magnetize  ;  or,  Magnetism 
and  Clairvoyance. — A  Practical  Treat- 
ise on  the  Choice,  Management  and 
Capabilities  of  Subjects,  with  Instructions 
on  the  Method  of  Procedure.  By  James 
Victor  Wilson.    i8mo,  paper,  35  cts. 

The  Key  to  Ghostism.  By  Rev, 
Thomas  Mitchel.    $1.50. 

Sent  by  Mail,  post-paid.  Fowler  &  Wells,  Publishers^  753  Broadtuay,  A^ew  Vark, 


HEALTH   BOOKS. 

This  List  comprises  the  Best   Works  on  Hygiene^  Healthy  Etc, 
Combe  (Andrew,  M.D.) — Principles  Horses  :  their  Feed  and  their  Feet, 


applied  to  the  Preservation  of  Health  and 
to  the  Improvement  of  Physical  and 
Mental  Education.  Illustrated.  Cloth. 
$1.50. 

Management  of  Infancy,  Physi- 
ological and  Moral  Treatment.  With 
Notes  and  a  Supplementary  Chapter, 
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OR 


HYGIENIC    COOKERY. 

By  SUSANNA  W.  DODDS,  M.D. 
One  large  i2mo  volume,  too  pages,  extra  clotJi  or  oil-cloth  bhzding,pHce  $2.oo. 


-^-i- 


The  object  of  this  work  is  to  enable  health-seekers,  and  those  who 
«rou  d  eat  for  life  and  for  strength,  to  furnish  their  tables  with  food  that  is 
wholesome,  and  at  the  same  time  palatable. 

_  Foods  as  ordinarily  cooked,  are  robbed  of  their  delicious  flavors  and 
nch  juices,  by  all  manner  of  wasteful  and  injurious  processes,  after  which 
one  tnes  m  vain  to  compensate  for  these  defects,  by  adding  condiments 
^r\asQ2iSomr\gsadtnJinitu7n. 

The  work  is  divided  into  three  parts.     Part  First,  giving  "Tile 
Reason    Why,-  contains  the  philosophy   of   nutrition,    giving  Vh! 
constituent  elements  of  various  articles  of  food,  and  their  relatiVe  values 
with  airections  for  the  proper  selection  and  combination  of  the  different 
kinds  of  foo«.  and  the  reasons  for  some  articles  being  better  than  others 
with  dietetic  rules  and  hints  in  regard  to  Health  in  the  Household. 

Part  Second  contains  the  ♦*  Hygienic  I>ietary.»»  Here  we 
have  directions  for  the  preparation  of  food,  recipes  for  cooking,  etc  in 
what  the  author  considers  a  strictly  healthful  manner ;  including  breads  of 
all  kinds,  tne  preservation  of  fruits,  vegetables,  etc. 

Part  Third  is  what  the  author  calls  "Xhe  Compromise," 
containing  directions  for  preparing  food,  not  strictly  in  accordance  with  the 
Hygienic  vyay,  but  in  such  a  manner  as  to  render  it  more  plain  and  health- 
ful than  It  IS  ordmarily  found  ;  and  it  will  prove  helpful  and  suggestive  to 
many  who  find  it  difficult,  on  account  of  surrounding  circumstances  to 
adopt  the  more  strict  Hygienic  cookery. 

Undoubtedly  the  best  and  most  practical  Family  Cook-Book,  and  will 
contribute  very  much  toward  the  promotion  of  Health  in  the  Household. 

Agents  Wanted,  to  whom  special  terms  will  be  given.     Copies  sen 
by  mail,  post-paid,  on  receipt  of  price.     For  terms  address 

FOWIvER    &    WEI.I.S,    PublisHers, 

753  Broadway,   New  York. 


NOW  READY.  FOURTH  EDITION,  REVISED, 


HO^V    TO    FEED 

THE  BABY, 

TO    MAKE    HER    HEALTHY   AND    HAPPY.      With   Health 
Hints.   By  C.  E.  Page,  M.D.    i2ino,  paper,  50  cts. ;  ex.  clo.,  75  cts. 

Dr.  Page  has  devoted  much  attention  to  the  subject,  both  in  this  coun- 
try and  in  Europe,  noting  the  condition  of  children,  and  then  making  care- 
ful inquiries  as  to  the  feeding,  care,  etc.,  and  this  work  is  a  special  record 
of  experience  with  his  own  child.  We  know  this  manual  will  be  welcomed 
by  many  mothers  in  all  parts  of  the  land,  as  one  of  the  most  vital  ques- 
tions with  parents  is  How  to  feed  the  baby,  to  promote  its  health,  its 
growth,  and  its  happiness.  In  addition  to  answering  the  question  what 
to  feed  the  baby,  this  volume  tells  how  to  feed  the  baby,  which  is  of  equal 
importance. 

That  the  work  may  be  considered  worthy  of  a  wide  circulation  may  be 
seen  from  the  following,  selected  from  many 

NOXICBS    OK    XHK    PRKSS. 


"The  book  shoald  be  read  by  every 
person  who  has  the  care  of  children, 
e.^^pecially  of  infants,  and  those  who  have 
the  good  sense  to  adopt  its  sugj^eslions 
will  reap  a  rich  reward,  we  believe,  in  peace 
for  themselves  and  comfort  for  the  babies." 
—Boston  Journal  of  Commerce. 

"  We  wish  every  mother  and  father  too 
could  read  it,  as  we  believe  it  is  founded 
on  common-sense  and  the  true  tbjory  of 
infantile  life."— ^i;e.  Farmer^  Bridgeport, 
Conn. 

*'  His  treatise  ought  to  be  in  the  hands  of 
young  mothers  particnlarly,  who  might 
save  themselves  a  deal  of  trouble  by  study- 
ing ity-^Bwoklyn  Eagle. 

"  Should  interest  mothers  ;  for  it  is  a 
really  scientific  and  sensible  solution  of 
the  problem  of  healtb  and  happiness  in  the 
nursery."— .B'/jTa^o  Courier. 

"'How  to  Feed  the  Baby*  ought  to  do 
good  if  widely  read  ;  for  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  thousands  of  babies  die  from 
ignorance  on  this  very  subject." — Amer- 
ican Bookseller. 

"It  is  as  odd  as  its  title,  and  is  funny, 
Interes^ting,  entertaining,  and  instructive." 
—  2^»ie5,  Biddeford,  Mc. 


"  We  know  this  manual  will  be  welcomed 
by  many  mothers  in  all  parts  of  the  land, 
as  one  of  the  most  important  queBtiona 
with  parents  is  how  to  feed  the  baby,  to 
promote  its  health,  its  growth,  and  Ita 
happiness." — Christian  Advocate^  Buffalo, 
N.  Y. 

"  Our  author  makes  plain  how  infantile 
diseases  may,  in  great  measure,  be  avoided, 
and  infantile lile  made  as  free  and  joyous 
as  that  of  the  most  fortunate  among  the 
lower  animals."—  Central  Baptist. 

''Dr.  Page  is  a  benefactor  of  this  age,  in 
having  made  it  a  special  study— the  care 
and  feeding  of  the  inia.ui.''''— People's  Jour- 
nal. 

"If  mothers  would  read  this  book,  we 
think  fewer  infants  would  '  make  night  hid- 
eous' with  their  di^a.^''— Homestead. 

" '  How  to  Feed  the  Baby '  ehould  be 
taken  home  by  every  father  to  the  mother 
of  his  children,  if  he  values  quiet  nights, 
and  is  not  inclined  to  pay  heavy  doctors' 
bills,  or  bring  up  sickly  children."— jf'ood 
and  Health. 

"  It  is  safe  to  say  that  in  proportion  as 
this  book  is  circula'ed  and  its  teachings 
followed,  will  the  rate  of  infant  mortality 
decrease." — Christian  Standard. 


Will  be  sent  by  mail,  post-paid,  to  any  address  on  receipt  of  price   50  cts. 
Address 

753    BROADWAY,    N£W    ITORK. 


T'HE  PHEEHOLOGICAL  JOURHAL 

^vcmiura    HSooh   for   I88A. 


A   VALUABLE   WORK 


Avoidable  Causes  of  Disease, 

There  is  no  question  but  what  a  large  proportion  of  the  diseases 
to  which  men  are  subject,  are  produced  by  avoidable  causes.  One 
of  the  best  works  ever  written  on  this  subject  is 

"THE  DISEASES  OF  MODERN  LIFE." 

By  Benramin  Ward  Richardson,  M.D.,  M.A.,  F.R.S.     i2mo,  520 
pages,  extra  cloth,  price  $1.50. 

We  append  a  few  of  the  many  favorable  opinions  that  have  been 
expressed  for  this  work  in  the 

NOTICES  OF  THE  PRESS. 


"  The  work  is  of  great  value  as  a  practical 
guide  to  enable  the  leader  to  detect  and  avoid 
various  sources  of  disease,  and  it  contains,  in 
adf'.ition,  several  introductory  chapters  which 
are  of  great  general  interest.  ' — Nature. 

"Particular  attention  is  ^iven  to  di';eases 
from  worry  and  mental  strain,  from  the  pas- 
sions, from  alcohol,  tobacco,  narcotics,  foods, 
impure  air,  late  hours  and  broken  sleep, 
idleness,  intermarriage,  etc.,  thus  touching 
upon  causes  which  do  not  enter  into  the  con- 
sideration of  sickness." — The  Boston  Cofn- 
montvealth. 


"  He  has  no  affinity  with  the  class  of  old- 
women  doctors  who  are  eternally  fussing  and 
dosing,  and  with  their  infallible  prescriptions 
break  down  more  constitutions  than  all  the 
skill  of  the  faculty  can  repair.  His  principal 
aim  is  to  point  out  the  causes  which  lead  to 
disease,  and  to  prevent  its  occurrence  by  ob- 
serving the  physical  laws  which  are  the  con- 
ditions of  health." — The  Tribune. 

"  His  work  contains  many  useful  and  valu- 
able hints,  suggestions,  and  directions,  and 
they  are  put  in  such  good  and  readable  shape 
that  one  does  not  tire  in  studying  them." — 
The  Toledo  Chronicle. 


Sudden  and  premature  death  is  nearly  always  produced  by  Avoid- 
able Causes  of  Disease.  Therefore,  if  the  people  wish  to  prolong 
their  lives  let  them  procure  this  work. 

The  price  is  $1.50,  but  a  copy  printed  in  large  type,  on  tinted 
paper,  bound  in  extra  fine  cloth,  will  be  sent  as  a  Premium  to  every 
subscriber  to  the  Phrenological  Journal  for  1884. 

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PHBES0L06ICAL  JOURNAL. 

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